By Stephen Appezzato
FAIR HAVEN – A plan to limit the borough’s out-of-control deer population could soon be in the works as the borough council began evaluating options at its May 13 meeting.
The issue of deer overpopulation is well-known around the Two River area. Without population management strategies, some are concerned about more car crashes, the spread of tick-borne diseases and loss of biodiversity.
Carolyn Ferguson, chair of the Fair Haven Fields Natural Area Advisory Committee, said the group has observed deer-related destruction throughout the borough’s woods.
“What we’re seeing is that the deer eat these young trees, and we wind up really with no trees,” she said, explaining how the area gets gradually deforested. “Without some sort of action, the future of the forest in the natural area is at risk,” Ferguson said.
During the meeting, biologists from the state Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP) presented the borough council with multiple methods to keep the town’s deer population in check, ranging from sterilization to catch-and-relocate to what they recommend most – lethal management which, according to biologist Brian Schumm, is “far more efficient than the other options.”
Lethal management strategies involve opening up certain spaces to deer hunting during specific time frames. In small towns such as Fair Haven, the NJDEP recommends only bow hunting, which it said is safer, quieter and less destructive.
“It generally has public support. The public wants to see action taken,” Schumm said.
If officials approve bow hunting in the borough, it will likely be confined to the Fair Haven Fields Natural area due to space restrictions, as arrows cannot be shot too close to residential dwellings.
As state biologist Megan Mills explained, “Hunting is safer than most contact sports” due to the culture around it and accountability.
“The state has a lot of regulations on our deer hunters,” according to Schumm.
Hunters would be subject to comprehensive state rules, training and any mandate the borough specifies. Under state law, hunters must harvest all deer meat following a kill to prevent waste. Excess meat can also be donated to food causes through organizations like Hunters Helping the Hungry, which has already donated close to 1,000 deer in New Jersey to food banks this year.
Council president Elizabeth Koch asked the biologists if the town’s natural area is too small to manage the deer population. “You can have a townshipwide effect on just a few small areas,” Schumm responded, noting deer tend to migrate around one specific area. With a sufficient hunting window, enough deer will pass through one area to produce results.
“How often would we need to do this?” council member Kristen Hoey asked.
“It is not a one-and-done,” Schumm said. “It is a continuous thing on some scale,” but “when you have a lot of deer, it takes (only) a little bit of effort to find those deer and remove them,” he said.
“If this is the route that you guys chose to go, you can build your own program,” Mills said.
While in its early stages, Mayor Josh Halpern said customizing a deer management plan may enter council workshop “sooner rather than later.” If the council is on board, an ordinance must be introduced and heard before approval.
In Other News
The borough recently acquired the 1.26-acre waterfront property worth approximately $2 million at 21 Fair Haven Road, which abuts the borough’s dock. Using a county open space grant and the state Green Acres program, the borough’s contribution to the purchase cost was $335,625.
“We envision this land becoming part of the fabric of our town,” Halpern announced online.
Last fall, the borough council discussed establishing a passive park at the location. The existing structure on the property will soon be demolished.
“Our longer-term goal is to plan, design and establish a park for our entire community that enhances our way of living while concurrently respecting the immediate neighborhood in which it lies,” Halpern wrote.
With the property acquisition, the 21 Fair Haven Road Volunteer Committee was established to make recommendations to the governing body on the future of the park. During the fall, some residents were concerned with the plan, worried the park would attract too many visitors down a narrow residential road with little parking. Borough officials assured residents the park would be strictly passive to avoid disrupting the neighborhood, and designing the project would be a transparent community effort. Those interested in joining the committee are encouraged to email Halpern.
“Much like the acquisition of Fair Haven Fields some 50 years ago, this park will become a quintessential Fair Haven jewel,” Halpern said.
In other news, the first Fair Haven Farmers Market will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25, on Willow Street, in front of Viola L. Sickles School. The market will feature local vendors and farm stands offering fresh produce and handmade goods.
The article originally appeared in the May 23 – May 29, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
