Whitehall Wildlife Committee expands focus to deer problem in borough
They've tackled Lyme disease.
Now, the Whitehall Wildlife Committee, an independent advisory group formed by the mayor and a councilman, will begin looking for ways to ease a problem with the deer population in the borough.
“For people, there's a problem and we need to do something about it,” Mayor James Nowalk told council members at their March 16 meeting.
The Whitehall Wildlife Committee, with 12 members, began meeting in January with plans to explore topics related to all wildlife in the community.
The group was formed after Nowalk heard complaints from residents about deer invading their yards.
The mayor launched a survey that was sent to all 6,200 homes in the borough in the spring 2015 Whitehall newsletter.
Of the 223 people who answered the question “Is there a deer problem in Whitehall Borough?” 38 percent said there is an “urgent problem requiring immediate action,” while 25 percent said there is “not a problem at all.” Another 16.6 percent said there is a “serious problem requiring study.”
Last September, Nowalk held a community conversation on deer issues, and more than 100 residents passed on watching the Steelers' season opener to discuss wildlife issues in the town.
Yet, deer are just one of the many issues with wildlife that the mayor said he foresees the committee tackling.
First, the committee honed in on Lyme disease, transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick.
The committee heard from a resident who contracted the disease, along with area doctors and experts, before writing an article for the borough's spring newsletter to provide residents with ways to avoid contracting Lyme disease, Nowalk said.
“Whitehall residents will benefit greatly from seeing this,” he said.
That project was a “team building” exercise, before the group got into the more daunting task of finding ways to tackle the perceived deer problem in the borough, he said.
Four of the committee members now will look at lethal means of deer maintenance, four will research nonlethal means, and four will look at the perceived problem, where the concerns are coming from and what the residents are saying, Nowalk said.
Their research will include potential costs.
Even as the committee moves forward, Nowalk said, he's hearing from residents saying they want an answer now.
A resident told him about eight deer that come within 5 feet of her door, Nowalk said. A resident called and told him, “We're moving too slowly,” Nowalk said.
“She tries to chase them away and they're just looking at her like, ‘Why are you acting so crazy? We're going to go at our own good time,'” Nowalk said.
Still, not everyone wants to see something done with the deer. Council President Phil Lahr said he enjoys the deer in his yard.
“We have 15 at a time and they don't bother us. We love seeing them. That's one thing I will always advocate for,” Lahr said.
Nowalk admits finding a solution won't be easy. It's about finding consensus, he said.
“We're going to see where things go,” Nowalk said. “It's going to take a while. It's a responsible way to approach this problem. Hopefully the answer to the problem will manifest itself.”
Stephanie Hacke is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-388-5818 or shacke@tribweb.com.
