Press release:
A public meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 tonight at the Bethany Town Hall, located at 10510 Bethany Center Road, to inform county residents about the proposed Archery Hunting program as a method for deer management at the Genesee County Park & Forest. All are encouraged to attend, listen, and make comments regarding the proposal.
The primary goal is to reduce the herd and lessen the impacts of browsing on newly regenerated forest. An "Earn a Buck" program is proposed through archery and/or crossbow hunting methods.
Genesee County Park & Forest (431 acres) is owned by Genesee County and managed by the Genesee County Department of Parks, Recreation & Forestry. In 1915, New York State recognized the Genesee County Forest as the oldest County forest in NYS.
Forest management has been ongoing throughout the past 90+ years through plantings, tree stand (plantation) thinning (tending) and harvesting of timber. One of the primary management goals is the production and harvest of high-quality, high-value sawtimber.
But an increase in the deer herd has begun to impact the forest with over-browsing of the tree seedlings growing as a result of practices laid out in the most recent Forest Management Plan, adopted in 2003.
Deer management was a consideration during the plan's creation. Back then, the impact of over-browsing by deer was not dramatically seen because the management practices were not as prudent prior to the plan's adoption.
But like many forested areas across the state, the Genesee County Park & Forest has seen an increase in deer population and it has become a safe haven. Deer find the park to be a location that can be visited throughout the day during hunting seasons with no pressures to leave.
In fact, the park has become a heavy feeding ground throughout the year and as a result forest regeneration has been slowed and in some places has there's been none at all. This is why "Earn a Buck" program is being proposed.
For information or to make comments, please contact Paul Osborn, Genesee County Parks Supervisor at 344-8508, ext. 3904, or via e-mail at coparks@co.genesee.ny.us.
