No Evidence Of Success

To the Editor:

During the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on December 15, Redding Assistant Deer Warden Chas Catania spoke to encourage Newtown to follow Redding’s deer cull model, which he characterized as a great success. The facts do not support Mr Catania’s claim, however.

Redding adopted its deer culling program (and created its deer warden position) in October 2005 and began implementation of that program the following year. Despite these efforts, Redding had by far the highest rate of Lyme disease incidence in Fairfield County in 2007, according to statistics from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Nor do communities with longer-established deer culling programs have any better track record of success in reducing Lyme disease by killing deer. The only communities where deer management efforts have had any demonstrated success are on islands or isolated peninsulas that bear no resemblance to Newtown or the surrounding communities.

Perhaps it is too soon to condemn as failures the deer management programs underway in several other Fairfield County towns, but there is certainly no evidence to date of their success.

Mark Alexander

69 Aunt Park Lane, Newtown                               December 17, 2008