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Reston residents urge association to pursue deer management; petition presented to board
Summary
Several residents urged the Reston Association board to address what they described as an exploding deer population, with speakers asking the board to work with Fairfax County on culling and to prioritize funding and staff time for a deer management effort.
Two residents who spoke during the member‑comment period on Aug. 27 asked the Reston Association board to address an increase in local white‑tailed deer and its impacts on native plants, safety and disease.
“My name is Jody Douglas…there is community support for culling the deer herd in Reston,” Douglas said, adding that she and a neighbor had begun a petition and that deer had destroyed planted native gardens near her home. Douglas said Reston’s quiet open spaces have made the community attractive to deer and that she hears about “an explosion in the deer population” from gardeners and environmental volunteers.
Jane Dreyfus, a master gardener and Reston resident of 42 years, told the board that Fairfax County and Arlington County had studied deer control and concluded that scheduled professional sharpshooting is “the most effective and humane approach.” Dreyfus cited concerns about Lyme disease, vehicle collisions and documented detection of chronic wasting disease in Fairfax County.
A board member asked staff if the county had been contacted. A staff member said RA had raised the issue with county staff and that the county’s animal‑control resources were available to assist neighborhoods and RA where appropriate.
Speakers asked the board to treat deer management as a priority, designate an RA official responsible for the issue, and budget funds to collect data and implement an effective management program. Dreyfus told the board RA has more than 1,350 acres of open space and urged coordination with Fairfax County’s deer management program.
Why it matters: Residents described ecological damage to native plants and expressed public‑safety and disease concerns. They asked RA leadership to coordinate with county programs and to consider budget priorities and staff assignments in framing a response.
