The North Park Village Nature Center (5801 N. Pulaski Rd.) has applied for the first deer kill permit within city limits and plans to bring sharpshooters into the park as early as September. They claim that the deer are overpopulated for the center’s acreage but have never shown that the deer actually reside there exclusively rather than in the forest preserve and cemeteries in the larger surrounding community. They also claim that the deer have destroyed trees and plants on their grounds, but have never quantified how much or explored simpler alternatives like fencing the affected trees or adding deer-friendly plantings.
We believe that the deer are a community resource and that the center has excluded us from the process of defining the issues, and if necessary, determining how to resolve them. Whether you are a park user, local resident, or concerned member of the community at large, please join us in taking action to preserve our deer.
