Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Dissecting an Editorial

Let's take a closer look at the Sun Editorial published here.

"Whether Solon residents favor deer culling methods or not, they should all agree on one thing: The deer population in the city is growing and it needs to be managed in some fashion."


Why do we need to agree it needs to be "managed", wildlife was managed for millennia by nature without the need for human help.


A hastily-arranged proposal to permit bowhunting in the city this winter was wisely nixed. 


True


Bowhunting would have been limited to Grantwood Golf Course, one of the few wide open tracts of land in the city, contrary to the fears of some that it would have taken place in densely-populated neighborhoods. 


False, the pilot program was to be limited to a few properties during the pilot and would have expanded city wide.  Stanek said the safe area could be much smaller than 5 acres.


However, little thought was put into the overall plan and it was being rushed through at the end of the season as if city officials were suddenly made aware that there is an overpopulation of deer and something has to be done about it immediately.


True


Ever since the culling program with White Buffalo was terminated, it stood to reason that the deer population would start to grow. 


Maybe, but animal populations have leveled off without human intervention in the past.  With no count, this is only conjecture.


How much it has grown is unknown, and we are glad to see that Solon is looking to get the most accurate count it can of its deer population before taking any further steps.


Old News, Solon is going ahead without the count


We are also glad to see city officials are willing to listen to several options beyond simply culling the herd. If the method is legal in the state, as Councilman William Russo noted, the city will consider it as it tries to create a comprehensive deer management plan.


False, from a person who clearly won't "tolerate" views that differ from his own.  


As for legality, isn't it strange that two very viable non-lethal alternatives (contraception and capture & release) have been outlawed by the ODNR who receives its funding from special hunting interests.


We agree with Andy Montoney, regional director of wildlife services for the USDA, who told Solon City Council’s Safety Committee, “No single technology or tool is going to solve your situation.” He is right when he says the city must have a “whole toolbag” of different options such as fencing, education and population management. 


Doesn't jibe with their record which is one of killing and lip service to non-lethal options.  They mention non-lethal options and then quickly tell you what's wrong with them.


Each option in and of itself will not keep the deer herd in check, but used together, the city will be able to do a better job of keeping the deer population from getting out of hand.


Who's keeping human excess "in check"?


The important thing that everyone involved in this discussion must remember is that emotions cannot play a role in the process. It is very easy for the subject of deer management to become an emotional one, but that cannot be allowed to happen. 


Too late, we hear fictional tales of "deer attacks" and other propaganda to justify bringing back the failed experiment of "managing nature".


Few people are thrilled with the prospect of killing deer 


Really! Haven't seen the web sites where the hunters revel in their killing.


and everyone involved with fashioning this deer management plan is looking for humane methods to accomplish this.


The people who are looking into this enjoy hunting in their spare time and have been ignoring non-lethal methods.


We hope that Solon officials recognize the emotional nature of this issue and develop a thorough plan that will keep the deer population under control and will not rely simply on sharpshooting or bowhunting. 


If it weren't for the activists, that's all we'd get killing and more killing.


We hope that activists realize, however, that either sharpshooting or bowhunting is a necessary method to keep the population in check because non-lethal methods alone will not work.


We hope the hunters realize that we are onto their failed experiment and that we'd like to move into the 21st century with more enlightened approaches to our coexistence with the Earth.


That’s what we think. 


You call this "thinking"?


Share your opinion on this editorial or other topics by sending a letter to the editor to rjablonski@sunnews.com, faxing your letter to (216) 986-2340 or mailing it to Ray Jablonski, Sun News East Group editor, 5510 Cloverleaf Parkway, Cleveland, Ohio 44125. All letters must include the author’s name, city and a daytime phone number for verification and must be no more than 300 words in length.


Share your views here by commenting to this post and to the editorial here.

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