Valley Forge National Historical Park
Protect the Park's Wildlife Habitat
A premier classroom on the American Revolution, Valley Forge National Historical Park (NHP) also is the largest public open space within 30 miles of Philadelphia. Its 3,500 acres provide beautiful landscapes and precious wildlife habitat within this rapidly suburbanizing region.
Unfortunately, a rapidly growing white-tailed deer herd threatens many other species. Studies indicate that concentrations greater than 18-20 deer per square mile compromise forest productivity and that of native plants and birds. Using a protocol developed by Pennsylvania State University, the National Park Service (NPS) estimates that the population is almost 14 times greater than the state’s recommended deer density to maintain forest regeneration. This concentration of deer threatens forest health and visitor safety. For example:
- Forest health is declining. Since deer consume seedlings of native trees and shrubs, non-native plants are overrunning the park. This situation is illustrated within 30 fenced deer-proof enclosures where, unlike the rest of the park, native trees and shrubs flourish, providing habitat for native birds and other wildlife.
- Car accidents cause personal injury and property damage. An average of 100 vehicular accidents involving deer occur yearly in the park, with many more on its outskirts.
Valley Forge needs a deer management plan to protect and restore the park’s biological diversity. Valley Forge NHP currently is developing a deer management plan that will maintain a white-tailed deer population within the park while also protecting the natural resources that support the park’s mission. The objectives of the plan include:
- Protecting and promoting the restoration of the natural composition of native plant communities by reducing browsing, trampling, and non-native seed distribution by deer, leading to a healthy abundance, distribution and diversity of other native wildlife species.
- Allowing a diverse forest structure of predominantly native species by reducing deer browsing.
- Promoting a mix of native plants and reducing the competitive advantage of invasive non-native plant species.
- Reducing the deer herd to allow for the restoration of habitat for nesting birds.
In December 2008 the National Park Service released their draft deer management plan/Environmental Impact Statement for public comment. The plan includes four possible alternatives:
- No action
- A combination of non-lethal actions, including fencing and reproductive control to gradually reduce the heard.
- A professional cull to reduce the herd through sharpshooting. Only trained professionals would be used.
- A combination of alternatives C, to quickly reduce the herd using a cull, and B to maintain the population levels using reproductive controls. This is the NPS preferred alternative.
Given Valley Forge’s extremely high deer population, its location within a quickly developing area, and the overpopulation throughout the region, viable options are limited. Studies indicate birth control is not effective on free ranging herds and in the short term does not reduce density. While lethal measures should be a last resort in a national park, a limited cull seems to be the only way to effectively thin the herd. Once an acceptable density is reached, using reproductive control to maintain the population is expected to maintain the population within acceptable limits, but if this proves not to be the case, the NPS must reinstitute the cull to maintain that balance.
Need more information? Visit the White-tailed deer management section of the NPS website or contact Cinda Waldbuesser, NPCA’s senior program manager in Pennsylvania, at (215.) 399.-4136 or cwaldbuesser@npca.org.
