The Royal Botanical Gardens has announced the following temporary trail closures:
Hamilton, ON, December 10, 2013 — Royal Botanical Gardens and the Haudenosaunee Wildlife and Habitat Authority (HWHA) have agreed to conduct a controlled harvest of White-tailed deer this December as part of RBG’s deer management.
The 2013 harvest will be conducted at RBG’s Arboretum, located at 16 Old Guelph Road, Hamilton, Ontario, and will take place between Monday, December 16 and Friday, December 20.
Access to the Arboretum, including the access from York Rd. Trailhead will be closed to the public for the duration of the harvest with the Arboretum reopened at its conclusion. Notices to the public will be provided and posted at property at entrance points.
Full details here: http://www.rbg.ca/files/pdf/mediaroom/DeerHarvestAtRBG.pdf
Comments
One count done by volunteers is not enough for the full picture and any remaining deer will still come to eat the plants.
Gardeners should not dictate wildlife management especially on lands funded in part by municipal and provincial taxes as well as community donations.
there has been no proof given the deer are distressed due to an overly large population, no rampant illness or starvation, simply intolerance and a desire to cut costs are behind this cull which according to one staffer who said to the media 2/3's of the deer need to be removed!
And this is not one-time thing. This cull will happen annually from now on.
If people want to preserve wilderness and not just have sterile plant only garden parkland, then these kind of poorly thought out deadly efforts need to stop.