
Ed. Note: NPS donates hundreds of pounds of venison to DC Central Kitchen.
From the National Park Service:
“The National Park Service must balance the needs of all animals and plants in Rock Creek Park. Research has shown that vegetation damage occurs when deer populations exceed 20 per square mile. Reducing the deer population is needed to allow regeneration in a healthy, diverse forest that supports native vegetation and wildlife, including deer. The National Park Service uses an adaptive management approach that is flexible based on how deer and vegetation populations respond. Since 2013, when NPS began reducing the deer population in Rock Creek Park, the park’s tree seedling density has more than doubled.
Without continued management, deer populations would quickly rebound and eat nearly all tree seedlings and other plants before they could grow. (more…)