[MAIPC] FW: deer management blog

Tue Jul 2 16:52:26 PDT 2019

Non-Native Japanese Stiltgrass in Catoctin Mountain Park

June 26, 2019

Japanese Stiltgrass is a non-native plant that poses a serious threat to the natural environment of Catoctin Mountain Park. It is native in East Asia and was first introduced in 1909.  It was mainly used as “a packing material for Asian Porcelain.” (NPS, 2015)  The grass grows up to 3 feet high and can suffocate out many native species.

A main cause for the spread of Stiltgrass is the overpopulation of deer in the Catoctin region.   Deer populations have been increasing because there is a lack of predators, and an abundance of food and habitat. The deer do not eat the Stiltgrass, however they do spread the seeds around the park on their hooves and bodies. 

Catoctin Mountain Park came up with two possible solutions.  The first was to build a deer fence to reduce the amount of deer in the park and thus minimizing the spread of stiltgrass.  However, deer fences are very costly and not always practical for a national park.

The second was to lethally remove the deer in the Catoctin region by “qualified federal employees.” (NPS, 2019)  The goal was and remains to reduce the population to 15-20 deer per square mile.  A number determined by the Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement.  The solution was implemented and worked very well.  Stiltgrass went from covering 17% of the park to 11% allowing for more growth of native species. 

The venison meat did not go to waste.  Since the start of the project in 2010 “more than 36,000 pounds of venison from Catoctin” (NPS, 2019) were donated to nonprofits. 

“Nonnative Species.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2015,  <http://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/nonnativespecies.htm> www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/nonnativespecies.htm.

“White-Tailed Deer Management.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2019,  <http://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/deer-management.htm> www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/deer-management.htm.

Grace Carroll

Sierra Club Maryland Chapter Stewardship Intern 

stewardship.intern2 at mdsierra.org

From: Laurel Imlay <laurel.imlay at sierraclub.org> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2019 3:30 PM
To: Stewardship Intern2 Intern <stewardship.intern2 at mdsierra.org>; Marc Imlay <marc.imlay at mdsierra.org>; Sally Gagne <sgagne at erols.com>; Linda Rieger <lindarieger at verizon.net>; Jeri Roth <jeri.roth at mdsierra.org>
Cc: Stewardship Outings <Stewardship.Outings at mdsierra.org>; Outings Intern <outings.intern at mdsierra.org>
Subject: Re: deer management blog

Nice!

Could you please put it in the deer management folder and call it Deer Management Blogs.

Could you please share it for editing with my laurel.imlay at mdsierra <mailto:laurel.imlay at mdsierra>  account?   

Could you also share it for getting comments on it with  Sally Gagne <sgagne at erols.com <mailto:sgagne at erols.com> > and Linda Rieger <lindarieger at verizon.net <mailto:lindarieger at verizon.net> > and Marc.imlay at mdsierra.org <mailto:Marc.imlay at mdsierra.org> 

I'm not sure who else they would suggest.

It would be good to have some pictures in it.

Also, please look on our website or elsewhere for links to connect with about deer management, ticks, and lyme disease for connections and references if people want to learn more.

Jeri Roth <jeri.roth at mdsierra.org <mailto:jeri.roth at mdsierra.org> > will be in tomorrow and could post it for you.

thanks!

Laurel

On Tue, Jul 2, 2019 at 1:26 PM Stewardship Intern2 Intern <stewardship.intern2 at mdsierra.org <mailto:stewardship.intern2 at mdsierra.org> > wrote:

Hey Laurel,

I also finished my blog on deer management and Heather looked it over and said it was good, so I am sending it to you for a final look over. Let me know what you think.

Grace

 <https://docs.google.com/a/mdsierra.org/document/d/14ycfK6gXRkb1wJk4ebZy4vk2kdGD1XHf79jntJOXmZA/edit?usp=drive_web>  deer fence blog

-- 

Thanks!
Laurel

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Laurel Imlay
Chapter Coordinator

laurel.imlay at sierraclub.org <mailto:laurel.imlay at sierraclub.org> 

Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
7338 Baltimore Ave, Suite 102
College Park, MD 20740
Direct: 240-764-5309 Office: 301-277-7111 
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/

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