Wednesday, October 17, 2007
More About Deer
You have to give Councilman Ron Cronk credit. He can sure generate a lot of email. The last time the council received so much email, it was from Ron's appeal to name a room after Chief Leschi instead of former Mayor Bill Harrison and his wife, Jo. Lots of people wrote to claim the room for Leschi.
This time, Ron's mention of hunting at a meeting continues to generate a lot of email based on a News Tribune story. I guess we should be grateful Ron did not call for controlling the deer by re-introducing wolves into Oakbrook. (And since everyone seems very sensitive about things right now, let me add I'm KIDDING about even the idea of that)
One of the casualties of the meeting is that now other members of the media and surely thus some members of the public are assuming the council is actively considering a hunt, as if all the council members had jumped in a van and headed to The Duffel Bag to load up on crossbows and arrows. Wow. If I was going to authorize the purchase of crossbows, it would be to use them on the scum who are terrorizing the area around Oh!Gallaghers. (I'm also just KIDDING about that idea, folks, although maybe a little less so)
Here's more examples of correspondence ...
You people are idiots if you allow bow and arrow hunting of deer in Lakewood simply to protect the precious flowers of your homeowners for any number of reasons ... What kind of liability will you assume if a deer is shot, doesn't die immediately, runs into traffic, hits a car or cars and kills drivers and/or passengers. What if the hunter misses and hits a humane or domestic animal? Also, you like your young child to see a deer killed, writhing in pain?
Deer are beautiful and deserve to be protected. The only justification for hunting is for subsistence and I doubt that Lakewood is bereft of grocery stores.
Plants and flowers grow back, deer do not. There is probably a more common sense deterrent to deer in the gardens - put up a fence, get a dog, put up windchimes, put in motion detecting sprinklers, etc.
The deer in Oakbrook are a source of joy and there are many things property owners can do to minimize damage to plants that deer may cause. Please, please speak for all of us who find great pleasure in these gentle critters in Lakewood who are only looking for food. We look forward to seeing them and gladly let them take a few of our flowers and leaves.
There is a beautiful buck and I think last year's baby, also a buck, and a small mother deer with this year's twin fawns who visit us. I think the smaller buck was also a twin last year but something happened to one of them. We are honored when the mother trusts us and brings her babies to our yard year after year.
Many areas have local issues with animals. One Santa Barbara community has peacocks that annoy some but are treasured by many. Another area has flocks of parrots that have been protected so that people can enjoy them. I know there are many things that can be done to reduce the damage deer can do. It is up to us as a community to seek some ways of enabling people to protect their yards and still keep out treasured wildlife. Thank you members of the council for addressing Lakewood's many health and safety problems and for seeking to use reason to protect our treasured deer, a source of enjoyment and pride in our Oakbrook neighborhood.
We own a home in Oakbrook. I was at H & L Produce on
Sunday when the shooting took place. I am a frequent
customer there and at Johnny's Fish and Casa Mia.
Please close this bar down. I do not feel safe
walking to my car in that parking lot. I'm certain if
an innocent bystander is shot next time they will sue
the City of Lakewood. They will win.
Do not shoot the deer in Oakbrook. This is
ridiculous. We saw 3 this morning in our yard. We
don't care if they eat our plants. Seeing wildlife is
part of the charm of living in Lakewood.
Forward this post
This time, Ron's mention of hunting at a meeting continues to generate a lot of email based on a News Tribune story. I guess we should be grateful Ron did not call for controlling the deer by re-introducing wolves into Oakbrook. (And since everyone seems very sensitive about things right now, let me add I'm KIDDING about even the idea of that)
One of the casualties of the meeting is that now other members of the media and surely thus some members of the public are assuming the council is actively considering a hunt, as if all the council members had jumped in a van and headed to The Duffel Bag to load up on crossbows and arrows. Wow. If I was going to authorize the purchase of crossbows, it would be to use them on the scum who are terrorizing the area around Oh!Gallaghers. (I'm also just KIDDING about that idea, folks, although maybe a little less so)
Here's more examples of correspondence ...
You people are idiots if you allow bow and arrow hunting of deer in Lakewood simply to protect the precious flowers of your homeowners for any number of reasons ... What kind of liability will you assume if a deer is shot, doesn't die immediately, runs into traffic, hits a car or cars and kills drivers and/or passengers. What if the hunter misses and hits a humane or domestic animal? Also, you like your young child to see a deer killed, writhing in pain?
Deer are beautiful and deserve to be protected. The only justification for hunting is for subsistence and I doubt that Lakewood is bereft of grocery stores.
Plants and flowers grow back, deer do not. There is probably a more common sense deterrent to deer in the gardens - put up a fence, get a dog, put up windchimes, put in motion detecting sprinklers, etc.
The deer in Oakbrook are a source of joy and there are many things property owners can do to minimize damage to plants that deer may cause. Please, please speak for all of us who find great pleasure in these gentle critters in Lakewood who are only looking for food. We look forward to seeing them and gladly let them take a few of our flowers and leaves.
There is a beautiful buck and I think last year's baby, also a buck, and a small mother deer with this year's twin fawns who visit us. I think the smaller buck was also a twin last year but something happened to one of them. We are honored when the mother trusts us and brings her babies to our yard year after year.
Many areas have local issues with animals. One Santa Barbara community has peacocks that annoy some but are treasured by many. Another area has flocks of parrots that have been protected so that people can enjoy them. I know there are many things that can be done to reduce the damage deer can do. It is up to us as a community to seek some ways of enabling people to protect their yards and still keep out treasured wildlife. Thank you members of the council for addressing Lakewood's many health and safety problems and for seeking to use reason to protect our treasured deer, a source of enjoyment and pride in our Oakbrook neighborhood.
We own a home in Oakbrook. I was at H & L Produce on
Sunday when the shooting took place. I am a frequent
customer there and at Johnny's Fish and Casa Mia.
Please close this bar down. I do not feel safe
walking to my car in that parking lot. I'm certain if
an innocent bystander is shot next time they will sue
the City of Lakewood. They will win.
Do not shoot the deer in Oakbrook. This is
ridiculous. We saw 3 this morning in our yard. We
don't care if they eat our plants. Seeing wildlife is
part of the charm of living in Lakewood.
