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Deer

The City has engaged in a lengthy study of deer management and designed a program to address the impact of deer on the City. 

On May 5, 2014, Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution asking the City Administrator to report to Council on development of deer management strategies. On August 14, 2014, the City Administrator reported to Council, recommending a public outreach process and requesting funding to perform that process. On August 17, 2014, City Council approved $20,000 expenditure for the deer management process.

On September 22, 2014, the City issued a request for proposals for a deer management consultant. A consultant was hired who conducted three public meetings - December 10, 2014; February 5, 2015; April 16, 2015. The consultant developed and deployed an online survey and conducted outreach to stakeholders. Working with the consultant, City staff issued deer management recommendations May 7, 2015. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) had been invited to present information about non-lethal deer management methods at the second public meeting, but it declined that invitation. After the May recommendations were issued, City Council allowed the HSUS was invited to give a presentation at a special session on July 13, 2015.

On August 17, 2015, City Council passed a resolution adopting a deer management program. On November 5, 2015, City Council adopted a resolution imposing a temporary moratorium on the discharge of guns in parks to allow the deer cull to proceed. It also passed a resolution authorizing a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services to conduct the deer cull.



These are a few links related to the subject.

Web Sites
Ann Arbor Residents for Public Safety - http://www.savethedeer.info
Friends of Ann Arbor Wildlife in Nature - http://www.faawn.org
Washtenaw Citizens for Ecological Balance - https://www.wc4eb.org

Then, “when it comes time to implement,” HSUS imposes “a condition that there can be no killing of deer for an extended period.” It’s all part of the strategy, says Dick: “Start the ‘experiment’ (destined to fail), stall the shooting, and meanwhile help to generate a political storm so that local governance will not want anything to do with deer management.”

News Articles

The case was expected to go before Judge Timothy Connors for a motion hearing Thursday morning in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, but the plaintiff withdrew her request for a preliminary injunction to halt the cull.
Connors this week denied Daniels' initial request for a temporary restraining order seeking to halt the cull, which started earlier this month.
The judge gave the plaintiffs another week to submit a revision, to which the defendants would then be allotted 21 days to reply. However, the plaintiffs rejected the offer, and said they intended to withdraw their complaints from federal jurisdiction and refile the case at the state level.
Tarnow wasn't convinced the plaintiffs had an open and shut case, or that residents face any imminent danger from shooting in the parks. He also wasn't convinced it's a matter for the federal court to decide.
The judge gave the plaintiffs, who filed their lawsuit last week, seven days to amend their complaint and articulate the basis for federal jurisdiction.
The hearing did not go well for the plaintiff’s attorney, Barry Powers. Judge Tarnow repeatedly criticized Powers, saying he hadn’t prepared, done his research, listened to the other side – nor did he convince the court, Judge Tarnow said, that anyone’s lives or federal rights were in imminent danger.
Christopher Dick said he's seen the negative impact that deer overpopulation has on forest composition, native butterflies, bees, small mammals, amphibians and certain birds in urban areas.
Powers said the lawsuit takes all three levels of government to task for violating the state and federal constitutional guarantees of separation of powers, disrespecting the principles of state-municipal preemption mandated under the Michigan Constitution, infringing the rights of residents to freedom of speech and information, and impairment of their rights to be safe and secure in their homes.

January 2, 2016 - http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/01/group_files_lawsuit_against_an.html (includes a link to the 97 page complaint)
More than a dozen members of a newly formed group called Ann Arbor Residents for Public Safety have filed a 97-page lawsuit against the city — as well as a long list of city, state and federal officials — in U.S. District Court.

In a hearing, the Washtenaw County Elections Commission determined in a 2-1 vote that the petition had insufficient language and did not meet the commission’s determination of factuality.
In a 2-1 vote the Washtenaw County Election Commission voted to decline the language in Sabra Sanzotta's petition to recall the 2nd ward representative.

December 4, 2015. http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/12/group_threatens_to_recall_seve.html Group aims to recall several Ann Arbor council members over deer cull, Ann Arbor News. "Sanzotta (is) leader of a group called Save the Deer Ann Arbor"

April 10, 2015. http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/04/city_to_hold_final_meeting_on.html (third City deer management public meeting)

February 06, 2015. http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/02/biologist_tells_ann_arbor_offi.html (second City deer management public meeting)

December 11, 2014. http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/12/ann_arbor_residents_contemplat.html (first City deer management public meeting)



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