The comment period for the National Park Service’s White-tailed Deer Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for Harpers Ferry and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal national historical parks ends March 20.
The NPS is presenting four preliminary alternatives and five potential focus areas to help guide feedback. The preliminary alternatives are no action, nonlethal deer management, lethal deer management or a combination of lethal and nonlethal deer management. A newsletter with additional details is available on the project website.
Members of the public and organizations are encouraged to provide comments online via the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
Comments may also be submitted in writing to:
Attn: Deer Management Plan Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100 Hagerstown, MD 21740-6620
Comments must be entered into the website or postmarked by March 20, to receive consideration. The entire comment submitted – including personal identifying information such as address, phone number, e-mail address – may be made publicly available. Requests to withhold such personal identifying information from public release will be considered, but there is no guarantee that they will be withheld.
There are five parks in the national capital region that already have approved white-tailed deer management plans. The parks are: Catoctin Mountain Park (Md.), Rock Creek Park (D.C.), Antietam National Battlefield (Md.), Manassas National Battlefield Park (Va.) and Monocacy National Battlefield (Md.).
For more information visit the project website at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/NHPdeermanagement.