November 2, 2009, 3:10 pm
Opponents of a plan to kill hundreds of deer at Valley Forge
National Historical Park are asking members of Congress to halt the
effort before the shooting starts.
Officials at the park, the
site of the Continental Army's 1777-78 encampment, want to reduce a
deer population now estimated at 1,277 to between 165 and 185 over four
years. They say the herd is eating so many plants, shrubs and saplings
that the forest cannot regenerate.
Under the plan, the animals
would be lured to areas baited with apples and grain, and federal
employees or contractors would hunt them with high-powered rifles
equipped with silencers. Officials have said that the first hunt will
take place between November and March but have refused to say exactly
when.
Opponents, who say the park is ignoring more humane and
less costly options such as contraception, have petitioned members of
Congress representing the area.
