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Commissioners back NAS Patuxent River deer cooperator permit, including night shooting and donation of venison
Summary
St. Mary's County commissioners approved a letter authorizing NAS Patuxent River to apply for a deer cooperator permit that allows the base to cull deer to reduce runway strikes, including use of bottlenecked rifle cartridges and night discharge; county authorization includes permission for signatures to be executed by the commissioner president.
The Commissioners of St. Mary's County on Sept. 30 authorized a letter of support and county authorization for Naval Air Station Patuxent River's annual deer cooperator permit application to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The permit request, explained by Deputy County Attorney John Hauser and NAS representatives, seeks authorization for the Navy to remove deer that present a hazard to aircraft at NAS Patuxent River and Webster Field Annex and to use certain cartridges and nighttime discharge as part of the management plan.
John Hauser, deputy county attorney, said state regulations require local authorization for a cooperator permit and for special permissions that otherwise would be prohibited in the county, such as the use of bottleneck cartridge rifles and discharge of firearms at night. NAS personnel in the room included Lance McDaniel, environmental director; Tyler Hall, natural-resources specialist; and Jim Swift, natural-resources manager.
An NAS representative said the base conducts culling operations to reduce the risk of deer on runways and that harvested venison is processed and donated to local food banks. "We donated well over 50,000 meals," the NAS representative said, describing the program's outcomes. Commissioners asked about chronic wasting disease testing and were told there has been no detection on base in 17 years of culling operations.
The board voted unanimously to approve the letter of support and authorization; the motion also authorized the commissioner president and the county attorney to sign related documents.
The county record notes the cooperator permit request is an annual submittal and that county staff worked with the county attorney's office and NAS to try to craft language that could remain in effect until revoked by the commissioners, rather than requiring annual signature.
