Potential Mt. Lebanon deer sterilization project could be in jeopardy

Mt. Lebanon’s sharpshooting effort could jeopardize the possibility of receiving funding from a charitable foundation toward a deer sterilization program.
Stephanie Boyles Griffin, senior director of the Innovative Wildlife Management Services Division Humane Society of the United States, spoke to Mt. Lebanon commissioners at their Jan. 12 discussion session, prior to the vote to implement sharpshooting.
She reiterated the contents of a letter she recently sent to municipal manager Keith McGill outlining the purpose of a research project that her organization is undertaking in conjunction with the Dietrich W. Botsiber Foundation, based in suburban Philadelphia.
“The Botsiber Foundation is interested in funding a nonlethal deer fertility control project. And it would be a standalone project, meaning outside of hunting that’s conducted on private lands, they want to see what the effect is of just doing nonlethal control on a place like Mt. Lebanon or whatever community we end up working with,” Boyles Griffin explained.
“In order to move forward with a project that they would provide substantial funding for, the majority of funding for,” she continued, “Mt. Lebanon would have to agree to suspend the archery program and they would have to postpone moving forward with any sharpshooting program until the research project was completed.”
Mt. Lebanon received a proposal for a surgical sterilization program from White Buffalo Inc., the organization with which the municipality has contracted for its archery and sharpshooting efforts as part of an overall deer management program.
“As a whole and in going forward long-term, fertility control does have what I believe is a very significant role and very valuable role in your community if integrated well into this overall strategy,” DeNicola, who also attended the discussion session, told commissioners.
Such an effort would represent a first in the state, as the Pennsylvania Game Commission has yet to grant a permit for a sterilization project.
“The good news was, they said that they were receptive and would give serious consideration to allowing a community like Mt. Lebanon to move forward with a study like that,” Boyles Griffin said about the commission. “The question remains, what are they going to require? Are they going to require other management methods be used in conjunction?”
Along with the unknowns is the amount of funding from the Botsiber Foundation, which Boyles Griffin call “substantial support” based on the overall cost of a project. Also, the Humane Society “has offered to contribute $51,000 in staff time to any project moving forward for the first year and probably subsequent years,” she said.