Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve Update

The following is an update from the newsletter, Banshee in Brief:

Woods Road 

VDOT contacted County staff to describe their methods for moving forward with the Woods Road relocation project. A meeting is being scheduled with VDOT staff and the Office of Transportation Services personnel to discuss a game plan.  

Controlled Deer Hunt

The County Board of Supervisors approved a “controlled” deer hunt on the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve to take place in January 2011. Details and dates are being finalized.  The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries previously completed “Deer Herd Assessments” and determined that the deer herd at Banshee Reeks was in poor condition. The overabundance of deer had serious implications for the loss of native plants and habitat, but also the overall health of the deer. Hunting versus starvation or disease was the selected method to reduce the herd. In addition an increase in the number of ticks as well as an “explosion” of invasive plants may be linked to large deer populations. The hunt, along with future hunts, should help stabilize the deer herd and bring it back into balance with the food supply. We will need volunteers to help with the hunt in January.