Submitted by Ray Minnick, “Canyon Light” author/photographer, Castile
After many years of protection, the sanctuary area of Letchworth State Park is again under threat of being opened to deer hunting.
This south park area, the original estate of William Pryor Letchworth, has been off-limits to hunting for years.
This reserve contains cabin areas A & B, the museum, Glen Iris, Trailside recreation area, group camping, ski and hiking trails and picnic and viewing areas at 3 major waterfalls. It also supports a large population of whitetail deer. Throughout the years, park management has resisted DEC efforts to open this area to hunting. For very valid reasons, and during years when deer populations were much higher than that of today, hunting was prohibited.
Once again, DEC, now with park management in support, are proposing opening this area to hunters. Their argument for doing so is based on the fear that an overpopulation of deer is consuming rare plant life in this area. It may be more reasonable to assume that the DEC wants this area open as a gesture to hunters, in return for continually higher license fees, and that parks management may intend to tie in hunting permits with cabin rentals.
A study period of only a few months of plant destruction by deer, may now threaten the stability and the tranquility of this area forever.
Today’s deer population in this area fluctuates with the seasons, and is at a level now which is compatible with its environment. Natural population control of these deer is on going, and includes: normal hunting harvest in areas surrounding, heavy use of deer “nuisance” permits by area farmers, unchecked park poaching, deer/vehicle kills, normal winter-kill of fawns, and coyote predation.
In a park that has no forest management plan in place to encourage the growth of understory plants and seedlings, the decline of these species is to be expected. Based on studies that were hastily done, on a hunting plan that is vague, and indecisive, and open to escalation, we are being asked to believe that killing more deer will result in the restoration of endangered plants. Note that exploration of other and alternative means of deer population controls have not been thoroughly explored.
Glen Iris, the home and estate of William Pryor Letchworth was given by him to the people of New York. If you believe, as I do, that this great legacy includes your right to a voice in how your State Park is managed, then I urge you to speak out about it. Contact Park Management in Castile and Albany, write your elected representatives, write a letter to your newspaper.
This is not a hunting/anti-aging issue. Thousands of acres of state park and state forest lands in this area are open to public hunting for deer.
May we please keep this last corner of pristine, undisturbed park area the peaceful sanctuary that it is?