Cleveland Heights holds public hearing on deer population; experts and residents press for data-driven plan

Cleveland Heights Public Safety and Health Committee members held a public hearing on April 29, 2025, to gather information about the city’s growing white-tailed deer population and possible responses. The session featured three expert presenters — Jonathan Sepek, wildlife ecologist with Cleveland Metroparks; Jeff Westerfield of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR); and James Amerino of Precision Wildlife Management — followed by more than a dozen residents who urged action.

Committee Chair Jim Posch opened the hearing by stating, “we are not here to make any decisions. Rather, we are here to listen, learn, and ask questions,” and said the meeting was an initial step in a longer process. The committee and presenters described ecological causes for rising deer numbers, reviewed monitoring methods, and outlined management tools that include education and no-feed rules, regulated hunting, targeted removal (sharpshooting), and fertility control. Residents who spoke at the hearing repeatedly urged the city to move from study to action.

Why it matters: Presenters said high deer densities can harm forest regeneration, raise the risk of deer-vehicle collisions, and increase human exposure to ticks and tick-borne disease. Jonathan Sepek of Cleveland Metroparks described how human changes to landscape and supplemental food sources have allowed urban deer populations to grow and reproduce at levels decoupled from natural resource limits. He cited research finding that urban fawn survival in the Cleveland region can be high and that supplemental food sources (gardens, bird feeders, intentional feeding) reduce natural population limits.

What experts told the committee

- Ecology and behavior: Jonathan Sepek explained historical trends (deer extirpation in the late 1800s and a recovery tied to mid-20th‑century reforestation and suburbanization)…