Residents press council to act on deer overpopulation; council to convene joint workshop and public safety review

Residents used the public‑comment portion of the Sept. 8 Green Tree Borough Council meeting to press elected officials to address a growing deer problem in several neighborhoods.

“Is there any planning going on in Greentree with regard to the animal problem we’re experiencing? We are under siege by deer herds,” resident Don Hamm told council, describing repeated plant and tree damage on his property. Several other residents recounted similar damage and urged action. Fred Singer and Don Poplar said the problem has persisted for years; Poplar said, “Guess what? The time is to act.”

Council members responded that the issue crosses recreation, public‑safety and wildlife authorities. Mister Panza, a council member, proposed a workshop: “we should definitely, in November, have a meeting about the deer problem.” Public safety and other council members said they would begin work sooner. Mister Ray and other council members agreed to convene the historical materials and data that have been collected and to pass records among committees.

Council described the initial steps it will take: collect animal‑control call logs and vehicle crash reports, review any available public‑health data about ticks and tickborne pathogens, and convene a joint meeting of public safety, community affairs and recreation to consider options. Borough staff noted that the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s standard recommendations—prohibiting feeding and considering hunting or culling in appropriate open areas—would require further legal and safety analysis; staff also told council that available animal control call counts are smaller than residents expect.

Residents suggested a range of responses, including stricter enforcement of wildlife‑feeding ordinances, trapping and relocation, fencing or deer‑netting on private properties, and community education on nonlethal repellents. Staff cautioned that many technical options (hunting, trapping and relocation, and transport) require large open staging areas, permits and state coordination.

Council did not adopt a formal ordinance or voting action at the Sept. 8 meeting. Instead, council directed that Mister Panza and Mister Ray combine their history and data, pass it to public safety, and that public safety begin planning a meeting and draft options for council review. Council members set a target to develop a plan by the end of the year and to present preliminary findings at an open meeting; no timetable for regulatory changes was set.

The council also heard a public reminder about tick testing: Miss Houts (community engagement) highlighted TickLab.org, which Pennsylvania residents can use to have ticks tested free of charge as a public‑health measure.