The Nature Conservancy is coordinating a deer hunt at the Conservancy’s Selden Creek Preserve in Lyme starting Wednesday, Nov. 19 and continuing through Wednesday, Dec. 31; however, the preserve will not be closed because the hunting area is safely separated from the part of the preserve with public trails.
The Conservancy is also coordinating a hunt at the Burnham Brook Preserve in East Haddam during the same timeframe. The Preserve will be closed to public access during that period.
The goal of the hunts is to reduce the negative impacts of forest overbrowse in these important habitats, restore balance and foster regeneration.
Safety for the hunters and neighbors of the preserves is a top priority for the Conservancy. Signs will be posted at Burnham Brook Preserve informing visitors the preserve is closed during the hunting season, and neighbors have been notified that hunting will take place. At both preserves, the hunters involved have been hunting together for many years and have hunted on the land before.
Deer overbrowsing impacts forest regeneration, wildflowers and the shrub layer. This not only affects the health of the forest but also the animals that depend on it. Birds that nest and feed on or near the ground have lost the groundcover necessary for protection from predators as well as sources of food.
Managed hunting is believed to be an effective tool that can reduce deer populations and curb the damage deer cause, allowing native natural communities, plants and trees to recover their full vigor and diversity.