Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Finding a Way to Better Manage Wildlife in New Castle County, Delaware Meeting Constituent Needs Joe Rogerson Deer and Furbearer Biologist Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife Today's Agenda y Introduction y Identifying the Problem y Proposed Solution y Justification y Comments/Questions Problem The Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) is responsible for managing wildlife in this state in a manner that meets that needs of the public but is also not detrimental to the species. y Some wildlife species are capable of reaching population sizes that exceed the tolerance levels of many people (cultural carrying capacity). y Common examples: y y y y y y y White-tailed deer Red fox Raccoons Groundhogs Canada Geese Snow Geese Problem y For species that exceed cultural carrying capacity, the DFW has established hunting seasons to help reduce their population. y Many of the former large predators (e.g. black bears, Eastern gray wolf, mountain lion, etc…) that would have kept many of these populations from reaching excessive levels have been extirpated from Delaware. y Therefore, hunting serves as a replacement for the loss in predation as a means to population control Problem - Defined Firearms Discharge Distances y State law y Firearms Definition (Title 11, Chapter 2, § 222. General definitions. ) y Archery equipment included in this definition y Safety Zone (Title 7, Chapter 7, § 723. Hunting or trapping in safety zones; penalty. ) y 100 yards from a dwelling for guns (e.g. shotgun, muzzleloader, etc…) y 50 yards for archery equipment (law changed in June) y New Castle County Law (Article 3. Weapons, Section 22.03.003. Discharge within safety zone around structures) y 200 yards for all of the lands north of Interstates 95 and 295 y 100 yards for the remainder of the County General Aerial Photo Total Area = 150 mi2, Deer Habitat = 42 mi2 (28%) 200 Yard Safety Zone 61% of Deer Habitat Unavailable to Hunting 100 Yard Safety Zone 29% of Deer Habitat Unavailable to Hunting 50 Yard Safety Zone 8% of Deer Habitat Unavailable to Hunting Safety Zone Close-up 13.5 acre woodlot, 49 houses within 200 yard safety zone Safety Zone Close-up 13.5 acre woodlot, 49 houses within 200 yard safety zone Proposed Solution y Amend New Castle County Code, Article 3. Weapons. Section 22.03.003 Exemptions to safety zone. y Add the following as Subsection F: F. While actively hunting, the state of Delaware’s mandated safety zone restriction shall be adhered to. y This change would allow additional wildlife management activities to occur, while still restricting the general discharge of firearms in the County. Justification Is Hunting Safe? y In 2004, The National Safety Council determined the number of accidents/100,000 participants for various sports. y y y y y y Hunting = 4 Bowling = 40 Cheerleading = 69 Baseball = 1,022 Football = 2,220 In 2001, there were 79 fatal accidents and 721 non-fatal accidents for the more than 13 million licensed hunters in the United States. In contrast, recreational boating and bicycling account for 800 to 900 fatalities per year, respectively. Additionally, swimming fatalities normally exceed 1,000 per year. Justification Deer Damage to Landscapes Justification Deer Damage to Crops Justification Lyme Disease Incidence Rate and Associated National Ranking for Lyme Disease Cases in Delaware from 2004-2009. Category Incidence Rate* National Rank 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 40.8 76.7 56.5 82.7 88.4 111.2 1 2 2 2 3 N/A *Incidence rate = confirmed cases per 100,000 persons, calculated using July 1st population estimates for each year Justification Lyme Disease Justification Canada Geese Justification Conflicts with Homeowners Justification Coyotes Recap y The required distance from a house in New Castle County is twice as great as the State of Delaware’s restriction y Extended safety zones in New Castle County poses many obstacles concerning wildlife management y Our proposal is for New Castle County to follow the same safety zone distance regarding hunting as the rest of the state y Individual opinions on hunting and wildlife management can be very different, but by changing your law you at least give those individuals that want to manage wildlife on their property the ability to do so. Questions