Friends of Wissahickon told forests are imperiled
Former state official stresses need for better deer control

By ANDREW LAZOR

The Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) held their annual membership meeting on June 7 at the Valley Green Inn. Members reviewed some of the past year’s most notable accomplishments and looked ahead to the organization’s plans for the future. Dr. Gary Alt, the former head of deer management at the Pennsylvania Game Commission, was the guest speaker. He delivered a presentation about the highly controversial deer population issue that directly affects the Wissahickon Valley, along with the rest of the state.

The wildlife ecologist has found himself embroiled in controversy over his proposed deer management plans; the debate was one of the major motivations behind Alt’s recent retirement from the commission after 28 years of service. “Basically, we moved the programs as far as we could move them, and I reached the point where I wasn’t effective anymore,” he said. “I resigned from the agency because I didn’t want to have my credibility destroyed.”

“Just because I retired doesn’t mean I stopped caring about Pennsylvania’s forests,” he added. Alt has spoken about deer management to over 20,000 people throughout the state. “When you try and raise more deer than the land can sustain, you destroy the habitat,” he explained. “That’s probably the biggest mistake in the history of wildlife management. It’s a mistake I’m trying to stop.”

Alt explained that the “era of over-protection” is largely responsible for Pennsylvania’s nearly immeasurable deer population. Whitetails were highly endangered in the earlier part of the 20th century, motivating conservationists to encourage reproduction among the species. The overpopulation problem started developing once the species reached sustainable levels. Alt calls for an overhaul of state game regulations, seeing hunters as the number one way to curb the explosion. “In the 21st century, we need to switch from an agricultural paradigm of how many deer can we raise, to a more responsible role ecologically where we’ll balance the deer herd with their habitat for the good of the people and for the good of the deer themselves,” said Alt.

Many Pennsylvania hunters have spoken out against Alt’s plan to curb the deer population, which includes drastic changes to the way state hunting seasons are organized. Alt’s strategy encourages hunters to control unsustainable numbers by killing more female deer than male. Alt, who is a hunter himself, feels that many sportsmen are apprehensive to his proposal because they simply “want to see more deer” while hunting. “The great irony is that if we give them what they want, it will destroy the very resource that they love,” Alt said of hunters who oppose his views.

He feels that his detractors are issuing a shortsighted argument to the crucial and complex deer management issue. Alt’s research supports the idea that the deer population will devastate the local environment if no action is taken. “Whitetail deer are a very important part of the ecosystem, but they should have never been allowed to dominate and destroy it,” he said. Alt has taken a passionate and personal stance on the deer problem. With numbers raging, the fragile forest ecosystems of Pennsylvania become more vulnerable each day. “This is an environmental and ecological issue that threatens a lot more than we’re willing to give up,” he said.

“It’s a substantial issue. We need to get deer numbers under control. People have come to accept the need for it. If there were a better way to do it, we would, but there just isn’t,” said Tom Pelikan, executive director of FOW. He added that the FOW fully supports Alt’s proposed plans for deer population control.

The FOW certainly knows how to get things done in the Wissahickon Valley. The organization’s 1,300 members match their enthusiasm for the local environment with unparalleled effectiveness. When severe rainstorms destroyed trails in the park last summer, over 100 volunteers showed up at workdays and put in hundreds of hours repairing damage. Generous supporters donated over $20,000 for rebuilding efforts. Upcoming plans include the Sustainable Wissahickon Trails Initiative, which aims to improve trail quality and management, and the Valley Green Environmental Restoration Plan, a proposal to beautify and improve facilities around the Valley Green Inn.

While Alt’s decision to address the FOW was motivated by the organization’s dedicated reputation, sheer location also played a part. “I think [the] Wissahickon is a microcosm of a statewide problem,” he said. “You have an overabundant deer population, which is having a tremendous negative impact on the forest ecosystem and on the quality of life of the people who live in this area. In many ways, the Wissahickon Valley is a frontier for finding out how we should solve these problems.”