Community Advised of Intermittent Park Closures this Winter for Second Round of Deer Removal

By Press release submission

Dec 23, 2021

City of East Lansing issued the following announcement on Dec 22.

East Lansing community members are advised that there will be intermittent park closures in the City of East Lansing this winter for the purposes of conducting a second round of deer removal.

Beginning January 3, 2022 through March 31, 2022, designated City parks will be subject to closure, when posted, during the evening and overnight hours on intermittent weekdays. On the evenings that the operation is taking place, barricades/signs will be posted at park entrances (including parking lots and pedestrian paths) notifying the public of the park closures. Barricades/signs will be put into place beginning at 4 p.m., with all designated parks closed by 6 p.m. The parks will remain closed until 7 a.m. the following morning to allow for the removal operation. It will be unlawful for any person, except those authorized by the city manager for the deer removal operation, to enter or remain in the parks when they are closed.

During the park closures, United States Department of Agriculture biologists highly trained in the use of firearms will be conducting professional deer removal under a cooperative service agreement with the City of East Lansing and a permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This professional, safe and highly managed removal of a portion of the deer population is being conducted in designated park areas to address deer overpopulation in the East Lansing community, which has resulted in vehicle/deer accidents, public health concerns, damage to landscaping and a disruption to the ecological balance of natural areas. Community members can visit https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/231/Deer-Management for information about the City of East Lansing’s deer management efforts to date.

In addition to the park closures/signs, notification letters are being sent out to residents in the immediate area of the parks where this work will be completed.

Similar to last winter, deer that are removed from East Lansing’s parks will be processed and the venison will be donated to the Greater Lansing Food Bank. Michigan Sportsman Against Hunger is generously providing the funding for the processing of the venison.

For additional information about this winter’s deer removal operations, view the City of East Lansing’s Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/FAQ.aspx?TID=61.

Original source can be found here.