Deer may be a welcome sight in town for some Okotoks residents, for others, they are nothing but a pest.
Deer may be a welcome sight in town for some Okotoks residents, for others, they are nothing but a pest.
The Town is hoping to gauge where majority of residents sit on the issue with a new online survey aimed at collecting feedback on the local deer population.
“Right now we hear both sides of the issue– that people really enjoy the deer and that's why they moved here and other people are really opposed to having deer in their yards and gardens and on the street,” said Okotoks parks manager Christa Michailuck. “So, we really wanted to get it out there and give everyone an opportunity to have a say.”
In January, council heard a presentation from veterinarian and wildlife management expert Dr. Judith Samson-French, in response to a number of complaints that had come in about the deer in town.
Michailuck said before they even consider moving into deer reduction strategies, Samson-French recommended gauging the community's tolerance level for the animals first.
“There's two strong opposing sides, I think it's important that council know how strong those views are on both sides,” she said. “Because if you just take the calls that you get you might jump to a conclusion or perception of what the issues are without really knowing it.”
In addition to residents' feelings on the issue, the survey will also hopefully indentify what the largest areas of conflict are between residents and deer. Michailuck said the issue may not be too many deer in town, just too many conflicts.
“There's no sense in jumping to conclusions saying we have too many deer, or they're damaging yards and gardens (because) some are not going to like that but others are like “you know, we share this town with them, and I expect they're going to come and eat tulips if I plant them so I don't plant tulips and I'm ok with that,'” she said. “So just getting a sense of what priorities are important.”
Michailuck said if they know what the issues are, they can work with residents and attempt to mitigate them.
“If a priority issue is damage to yards and gardens then maybe we can start with a communication strategy on deer deterrent strategies from yards and gardens, deer resistant landscaping choices, plant choices that type of thing, so that can help guide us as to what residents' priorities are that way,” she said.
The Town will also be undertaking a study to determine just how many deer actually live in town this fall, as currently it's difficult to even estimate how many of the animals make their home in Okotoks.
The survey is available on the town of Okotoks website for two weeks, closing on April 29. The results will then be compiled and a report will be taken to town council. The results will also be available for public viewing online at okotoks.ca after May 30.
