Rally in Mt. Lebanon protests shooting of deer
Jason Margolis displays a sign along Cochran Road.
Barbara Alsko, left, and Evelyn Raiff display signs along Cochran Road.
Attending the rally are, from left, Olivia Yaremcho, Laura Yaremcho, Madelyn Yaremcho, Karen Newman and Clare Newman.
The people who gathered late in the afternoon of Feb. 3 to protest sharpshooting of deer in Mt. Lebanon must have known they were in for some protests of their own.
“Stick it up yer (fundament)!” a none-too-friendly voice drawled from a red pickup truck that passed the group along Cochran Road.
But the hunting opponents remained resolute in calling attention to what they believe is a bad situation.
“I’m out here because we shouldn’t have rifle shooting in this community where our kids are walking, during the time that they are walking. It’s an accident waiting to happen,” Mt. Lebanon resident Barbara Alsko said as she displayed a sign reading “Coalition for Coexistence.”
Members of the coalition, describing it as a group that promotes nonviolent solutions to community issues, called for the Feb. 3 rally during rush hour along one of Mt. Lebanon’s busiest intersections.
They object to the municipality’s approach to deer management, which includes contracting for an archery hunt, which took place September through January, and culling by sharpshooters. The latter is to occur between now and March 31, in a window of about two weeks that has yet to be announced.
”The idea of shooting in a community that is as densely populated as this, to solve a non-problem, is completely absurd,” Jason Margolis, also of Mt. Lebanon, said. “We’re out here to let the community know what’s going on so that they can make the decision whether it’s something they want in their yards, their parks and their neighborhoods.”
During the sharpshooting program, “Highly qualified professionals will shoot from a fixed location in designated public parks and on private properties that have been thoroughly vetted by White Buffalo and the Mt. Lebanon Police Department,” the municipal website states.
White Buffalo Inc., a nonprofit wildlife management organization, also conducted the archery program.
“What is teaching our children?” Laura Yaremcho, who attended the rally with daughters Olivia and Madelyn, said. “Our kids are not learning to live with other things. If you don’t like something, get rid of it.”