Post date: Sep 5, 2016 9:46:09 AM [ Updated: Sep 9, 2016 8:47 PM ]
Original posting from 09/05/16:
The Fairfax County has expanded the Fairfax County Deer Management Program and Archery Program to include County land / parks surrounded by the neighborhood of the Pohick Station HOA. The County recently posted notices [image attached] near the wooded area of Barsky Court and at the entrance to the wooded path off Winslow Drive. More information about the program is available at:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/wildlife/archery/archery-program.htm
Several Association members have expressed concern about the program, and that they first learned of the program through the posting of the notices. The Pohick Station HOA has reached out to the County with these concerns, and a collection of questions on specifics of how the program is administered, who in the County is personally accountable, designated vehicle parking areas in and around our neighborhood, details on what independent analysis and oversight the County has implemented ensuring the safety of the program, and how Association members (if they so choose) might contest the program.
Association members who have questions, concerns, or comments can also reach out to the County directly to the listed points of contact:
Dr. Katherine Edwards, Wildlife Management Specialist, 703-246-6868, katherine.edwards@fairfaxcounty.gov
Sergeant Earit Powell, Program Manager, 703-324-0280, earit.powell@fairfaxcounty.gov
Update 09/06/16:
The following information was provided by Dr. Katherine Edwards, Wildlife Management Specialist, Fairfax County, to the Association on 09/06/16. In addition, attached are two views of the relevant Deer Management Program archery locations in our Association neighborhood. The outlined tan areas represent the hunt areas, crosshatched areas are no-hunting zones, and the red areas are the designated parking areas.
From Dr. Katherine Edwards, Wildlife Management Specialist, Fairfax County:
The Fairfax County Deer Management Program was mandated by the Board of Supervisors and is implemented by the Fairfax County Police Department in collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority and NOVA Parks. The Fairfax County Deer Management Program operates on public lands (primarily county parks) under regulations set by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Parks are added to the Deer Management Program based on criteria including public safety concerns related to deer-vehicle collisions, residential complaints of deer damage in the vicinity of the park, high estimated deer population in the parks, measurable impacts to park vegetation, or at the request of the park manager.
The Fairfax County Park Authority recommends parks to be included annually in the program. A site visit is then conducted by Police Department personnel for each new park proposed for inclusion to determine whether deer management can be safely and effectively conducted and the appropriate management method. The list of parks is then presented to the Resource Management Committee of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board in early summer. The final list is reviewed with each District Supervisor for approval of parks within their district.
Archery was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2000 as a safe and efficient method of deer population control. All archery activity is closely monitored by the Fairfax County Police Department in collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority. Last year, the Deer Management Program was implemented in more than 80 parks county-wide and has an exceptional safety record, with zero safety incidents reported since the program’s inception. Archery is conducted in many parks that have high-use recreational areas and trail systems that are heavily used by park patrons daily. Since Virginia began tracking hunting injuries in 1959, no bystanders have been injured by an archer hunting deer anywhere in the Commonwealth.
The Fairfax County Police Department maintains strict oversight over all program participants. Archers must meet state requirements for hunter licensing and Hunter Education standards, pass proficiency standards with their weapon to qualify for the program, and also pass a criminal background check with the Fairfax County Police Department. All archer activity is reported through an electronic database that is monitored by Police Department personnel. This information includes the date, park location, activity start and end times, number of deer observed, number of shots taken, number of arrows retrieved, number of deer shot, number of deer retrieved, sex and age of deer retrieved, and the disposition of each deer (whether it was kept by the archer or donated to a landowner, Hunters for the Hungry, or other private charity). Any activities that deviate from normal protocol must be reported immediately as incidents including non-retrieved deer, lost archery tackle, suspected poaching, hunter injury, theft or damage to equipment, or hunter harassment.
Police Department and Park Authority staff work collaboratively to ensure adherence to program standards including distances from trails and property boundaries and height of tree stands. If there is a concern about a stand location or height in a park, it can be reported to Sergeant Earit Powell. County staff and archery group leaders conduct field visits to investigate any reports where rules may be in violation of program standards.
Parks included in the FY 2017 Deer Management Program that border the Pohick Station community include South Run Stream Valley Park and Poburn Woods Park.
A map of all Deer Management Program archery locations can be found on at http://fairfaxcountygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=409cc24c643d453387f752ce6e06bcad. The outlined tan areas represent the hunt areas, crosshatched areas are no-hunting zones, and the red areas are the designated parking areas.
I have also attached a map of South Run Stream Valley Park and Poburn Woods Park near your community. The designated parking areas are denoted in red and include the following locations with park access:
1) Cul-de-sac at west end of Karmich Ct.
2) Roadside across from 6309 Karmich St.
3) Cul-de-sac at east end of Pohick Ct.
4) Cul-de-sac at south end of Pohick Station Dr.
5) West side of road across from 6219 Winslow Ct.
6) Roadside along Barnsky Ct. between #6312-6316
7) East of 10620 Winslow Dr.
Notification letters were mailed in mid-July to 49 residences within the Pohick Station HOA on Winslow Ct., Winslow Dr., Barsky Ct., Pohick Station Dr., and Pohick Ct. immediately bordering the parks. A copy of that letter is attached.
The county’s archery program is structured by park clusters – a grouping of parks within the same general vicinity in which only designated archers can hunt. Each cluster is assigned at least one group leader (or more depending on cluster size) and a specific group of archers that are only allowed to hunt those designated parks.
The parks bordering the Pohick Station HOA are included in the ‘South Run Cluster’ which includes Burke Lake, Lake Mercer Park, South Run District Park, South Run Stream Valley, Sandy Run Stream Valley, Brimstone Park and Poburn Woods Park. Archers within this cluster may move among these designated parks only.
The group leaders for the South Run Cluster are John Maher (jmaher55@verizon.net), Matt Hopson (mfhopson@netzero.com), Francis Monin (fmmonin@aol.com) and Jon Petri (jpetri30@gmail.com). The group size for the cluster is 45 archers. We do not post the list of hunters within the program.
Given the smaller acreage of Poburn Woods Park and the South Run Stream Valley portion near your community, we would expect to typically see 1-2 archers on average hunt these areas with the majority of hunters using the larger parks in the cluster.
The program allows hunters to field dress deer on park property and cover the gut piles in the woods away from trails and areas of higher park use to limit exposure of park users to this type of activity. The deer carcass is then removed by the hunters. All deer are covered while transporting in and out of the woods and covered in vehicles.
If homeowners have questions and concerns related to the Deer Management Program, they may call or email Sgt. Powell (earit.powell@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-0280) and myself (katherine.edwards@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-246-6868).