Essex County will once again be closing some of its parks in our area in January and February for a controlled hunt to reduce the deer populations in them.
County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. said Monday that that the Fourth Annual Essex County Deer Management Program will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 18 to Thursday, February 24 at the South Mountain, Eagle Rock and Hilltop reservations.
“Reducing the number of deer in our reservations is a very controversial and emotional issue, but it is a necessary step if we are going to preserve the forest habitat and maintain our reservations as viable resources for recreation and open space,” DiVincenzo said. “Over the last three years, we have removed 750 deer from our reservations, started a program to accelerate the re-growth of our forests and expanded a pilot program to reduce traffic accidents involving deer. The over-abundance of deer affects all of our communities, and our program provides a comprehensive approach to address the problem,” he said.
The program will be conducted in South Mountain Reservation on January 18, 20, 25 and 27. The dates for Eagle Rock and the Hilltop are February 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 24. Fairview Avenue will be closed to traffic on those days, so plan an alternate route. We’ll post reminders on each hunt day on the MyVeronaNJ.com calendar.
