Lebo’s deer problem is real
I would like to respond to the letter that appeared in the Nov. 6 edition of The Almanac, “Deer not a problem in Mt. Lebanon.” With all due deference to the writer, Mr. Hoon, I would like to quote Mark Twain: “It is not what people don’t know that bothers me, but what they think they know that is not true!”
Believe me, the issue that our community leaders are struggling with is real. My family, too, has had a homestead in Mt. Lebanon for more than 50 years, and today’s problem in no way resembles the status of the ecosystem from years ago. The media has more than aptly chronicled the hazards that exist with vehicle incidents and that Pennsylvania is the No. 1 state in the nation for such occurrences. I personally had one such episode on Castle Shannon Boulevard, where, fortunately, my vehicle and I were unscathed and the animal, albeit contacted, also walked away.
With regard to what you may consider a non-event, the thousands of dollars of property damage these animals have caused have not only cost our homeowners discretionary funds, but have actually anesthetized us into forgoing the planting of flowers, shrubs and vegetables alike. While deer are majestic looking creatures that many like to watch running free, they are a problem in Mt. Lebanon, both in numbers and actions. Therefore, while I agree we (and we are in this together) do not have an absolute solution, I laud our elected officials for doing something to try and address the problem. If our commissioners did nothing at all, it would be like worrying about ostriches.
Dennis Pittman
Mt. Lebanon