ML conducts initial deer census

Inside City Hall, Medical Lake residents collect their clipboards, maps and binoculars. Their mission is to break up into groups and count all the deer they see on their route.

Several members of the Medical Lake Citizens Deer Advisory Committee conducted their first deer survey, Dec. 6, before sundown. After 45 minutes to an hour, the volunteers counted 86 deer within Medical Lake's city limits.

"It's the first time doing this," Candace Bennett, wildlife conflict specialist for the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said. "It's the pilot run and we'll see what we can do from here."

The suggestion to conduct a survey came at the committee's Nov. 12 meeting as a way to collect data and help determine the deer population in the city.

Committee members broke up into groups and divided the city into four routes. They used data sheets to record the number of bucks, does and fawns - as well as other wildlife - they saw in the area. Bennett said she left Lakeland Village and Eastern State Hospital out of the routes because the deer problems were primarily in residential areas.

"If we want to incorporate the hospitals, we can," Bennett said. "They've opted to participate, but they could probably have their staff do it."

Committee member Joe Nuess counted four bucks, seven does and one fawn. He also saw 20 more deer at the hospital.

"There are certain paths where we often see them," Nuess said. "We were there a little early this time. We would have seen more of them later (in the evening)."

Bennett's group counted 30 deer, with most of them coming at the edge of the city. She agreed with Neuss if the volunteers conducted the survey later in the evening they might have seen more deer coming into the city.

"If you do counts early in the morning, you might be able to catch them before they are about to leave the city," Bennett said.

Bennett was to present the committee's findings at its Dec. 10 meeting. She hopes the committee will conduct more counts throughout the year. She added that volunteers should conduct their counts at the same time during the day to keep the data consistent.

Although a year's worth of surveying will give the committee some information about the city's deer population, Bennett suggested that the committee survey the deer population for several years as there are different variables that factor into deer population trends, including food availability, weather conditions and fawn mortality rate.

"After several years (of surveying) you'll have less variability," Bennett said.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].