Please help the Valley Forge Deer!

Valley Forge National Park to Spend Millions of Your Tax Dollars to Slaughter 1,000 Tame Deer!
Valley Forge National Historical Park wants to kill 1,000 tame deer in the next 4 years because they claim the deer are too numerous (we strongly disagree!) and are destroying some wooded plots ("forests") in the Park. They also hope that decimating the herd will help prevent Chronic Wasting Disease, a deadly illness to deer. They plan to spend millions of your tax dollars to shoot the deer over a period of time to protect the forest when it is unnecessary since the non-profit organization PNC, Inc, has offered to install deer fencing free of charge. Fencing would immediately protect the forest, be more effective than killing deer and would cost the public nothing. Killing a large number of deer quickly reduces the gene pool and leaves a vacuum inviting perhaps diseased deer to move in--not a good strategy, if one is concerned with disease. If it were really necessary to reduce the deer herd, PNC included in its offer to fund the contraception of 1,000 deer with PZP, a thoroughly tested and effective immunocontraceptive. As of the end of September, the Park has blatantly disregarded PNC's offer, which includes a scientifically proven alternative.

The deer are habituated to humans and easily approach people, even when accompanied by their dogs. These tame creatures have become loved by many who visit the Park and have become of themselves, a major attraction. Please see that these gentle and trusting animals are not heartlessly slaughtered when non lethal control methods have been generously offered at no expense to the taxpayers.

Even with the unrealistically low estimates of the cost of lethal control($200 per deer when many estimates range from $400 per deer and higher), the park's estimated cost is almost $3,000.000. The Park's plan is gravely flawed. It is a complete waste of $3,000,000 or more of taxpayers' money. By refusing to consider seriously the generous offer of fencing and contraceptives, the Park shows utter contempt for the taxpayers and deer.

Please write and phone your Senators, Congressmen, Mr. Dennis Reidenbach, NE Director of National Parks and Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director. Please urge them to STOP Valley Forge National Park’s ill conceived plan as it is hugely expensive and horribly cruel, and to accept PNC's offer for NON-LETHAL control of the deer population at NO cost to taxpayers.

Jon Jarvis, National Park Service Director

Phone: 202.208.4621
Email: jon_jarvis@nps.gov


Dennis Reidenbach, NE Regional Director
Phone: 215.597.7013
Email: dennis_reidenbach@nps.gov

Senator Arlen Specter
Washington DC711 Hart Building, Washington , DC 20510
Main: 202-224-4254
Fax: 202-228-1229

Senator Bob Casey
393 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6324
Toll Free: (866) 802-2833
Fax: (202) 228-0604

Congressman Joe Sestak
1022 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2011
Fax: (202) 226-0280

Congressman Jim Gerlach
308 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4315
Fax: (202)225-8440