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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Support turf, ski area ... SOU to hold active shooter class ... Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Our View: Support turf, ski area ... SOU to hold active shooter class ... Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Oct. 6 DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 6, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 6, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Culling not the answer Your editorial advocating killing deer as the solution to deer concerns is simplistic, uninformed, and mirrors the naivete of many at the deer summit. Shooting deer with rifles and/or high power bows and arrows is not feasible, safe or legal in Ashland, and for a good reason: It's dangerous. Bullets and arrows cannot be controlled and can injure and kill people, pets and other wildlife and destroy property. Logistically, there is no way to keep deer on one piece of property even with permission from the owner. Bow hunters rarely get a kill shot, which means the wounding rate is high and wounded deer are aggressive and unpredictable. It is also inefficient, one study showed that it took 66 hunters a total of 371 outings to kill 22 deer at a 53-acre site that was not divided into hundreds of backyards and houses. Beyond the logistical and safety aspects, killing will not solve the problem because more deer will move in, and many people in the community will not tolerate the action. There is no easy answer to habituated deer in urban environments. It's a nationwide problem. Ashland can and should learn from other cities. Prevention and avoidance are the best tools to minimize conflict, which is where resources and energy should be directed. Strict enforcement of the no-feeding ordinance, development of an interactive webpage where people can pin point areas of conflict, indicate areas where deer are fed, and more education about what has and has not worked in other communities are things that can be done now using tools that are already in place but not fully developed or utilized. It became clear at the deer summit that women walking dogs represented close to 100 percent of the aggressive encounters. Ashland has a great dog park and other areas where deer have not caused problems, so why not take a different route? Killing deer is not going to make Ashland any safer, but it could have the opposite effect and create a lot of discord and unpleasantness for the community. S. Mackler Jacksonville How about a deer statue? In regard to the controversial discussion of the public art chosen for the island in between the library and the fire department, there may be a choice that would simultaneously honor those who cry for a "historic" work of art and honor those who love having the deer roam all over town. How about a family of bronze deer, life-size, so that the kids could have their pictures taken "riding" the local wildlife? A buck with magnificent horns, a doe and twin fawns could be set upon a highish pedestal. The pedestal, with stairs all around used as comfortable pedestrian seating, also provides visibility of those passing by in vehicles. Interactive art is so exciting. These sculpted deer would be a ironic, iconic, historic memorial to those sick, urbanized deer who now either attack or wander listlessly around town. Marilyn Briggs Urge Walden to sign Congressman Gibson (R-N.Y.) has spearheaded a resolution acknowledging the contribution of human activity to climate change and urging action to respond to the threat to our planet and especially our most vulnerable citizens. Gibson’s goal “to look for consensus on areas where we can take action to mitigate the risks and balance our impacts” is a critical first step in bipartisan solutions. I urge Congressman Walden to sign the Gibson resolution and join his Republican colleagues in this mechanism for initiating a productive bipartisan dialogue. I would encourage all citizens in Walden’s district who are concerned about the health of our planet to contact him at walden.house.gov or leave a message at his Medford office (541-776-4646). Gretchen King Ashland DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 6, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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