Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, September 26, 2014
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Deer hunting will soon take place at Eagle Creek Park.
The Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved a two-part plan to reduce the deer population, saying the deer are destroying many types of vegetation at Eagle Creek.
Initially, the hunt will not be open to the public, as is the case with deer hunts that take place at state parks.
"This would be a contract with professional wildlife management specialists that shall manage all aspects of the project in a tightly controlled and supervised program, with public safety at its highest priority," said Don Colvin, Deputy Parks Director for the city.
That part of the hunt will be overseen by a Purdue University wildlife management team, which will use sharpshooters with night-vision to hunt deer at night after the park is closed.
The board approved a separate plan for a disabled veterans group to take veterans on hunts for deer during daylight hours - the park will be closed to the public when those hunts take place. Those hunts could take place between October and January.
Parks Board Chairman John Williams pushed for the hunts, saying Eagle Creek is already losing many trees to the emerald ash borer.
"If we do not control for the problem that we currently have, we may have other species of trees that are not going to be able to grow," Williams said.
The deer will be processed off site, with the meat taken home by hunters or donated to food banks.
Some who live near the park spoke in opposition, while others were in favor, opinions split as to whether there were noticeable changes to Eagle Creek's appearance over the years. Others were critical of methods used to determine whether there were too many deer.
"There is no accurate, independent survey that has ever been done on the park to tell us how many deer are in the park," said Keith Starling, one of several people allowed to speak at the board's meeting, even though Williams emphasized that it was not a public hearing. "There is nobody in this room, Parks Department nor at the city, who can tell how many deer are at Eagle Creek Park."
The board also voted unanimously to extend operating hours for the Monon Trail and other trails from 5am until midnight daily for the next 90 days. The board will hold another hearing in the future to decide whether to make that time extension permanent.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.