University students, regional coalition present Michigan urban deer management plan to Ann Arbor commission

A group of University of Michigan master’s students on Thursday presented a regional urban deer management plan to the Ann Arbor commission, describing a four‑phase approach that local governments can adopt to measure and reduce deer overabundance while coordinating across municipalities.

The students, advised by Mike Cost of the School for Environment and Sustainability, said the plan — developed with the Southeast Michigan Urban Deer Coalition and client Brian Farmer of Farmington Hills — emphasizes baseline resident surveys, deer counts (drone and camera), public education, phased management and multi‑year monitoring. “We built the plan on three foundational pillars: ecological assessment, social context, and implementation,” the students said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Coalition members and presenters argued that deer move across municipal lines, so single‑city strategies can fail; a regional plan, they said, allows shared biologists, coordinated sharpshooter calls and organized archery hunts to reach target harvest goals and reduce ecosystem impacts and collisions over time.

The students cited state and county figures when sketching the problem: they reported a 2024 estimate of about 35 deer per square mile statewide and noted Oakland County recorded more than 2,200 deer‑vehicle collisions in 2023. Farmer told the commission the coalition began sharpshooter calls this past winter with the USDA and that harvested venison — more than 2,000 pounds — was processed and distributed to local food banks such as CARES.

Panel and debate: Commissioners questioned the group about alternatives and logistics. On sterilization, presenters and Farmer said evidence shows sterilization is rarely effective for free‑ranging deer and that the Michigan DNR and the project’s research recommend lethal methods for population reduction in most urban settings. “In freeranging deer it’s not been proven to be successful; the costs and logistics are prohibitive,” Farmer said.

Commissioners also pressed on processor capacity for donated venison, recruitment of semi‑urban townships and how the coalition will ensure safety and community buy‑in. Presenters described partnerships with Hunters Feeding Michigan and larger food‑bank networks (Forgotten Harvest) and said the coalition is pursuing shared USDA wildlife biologist positions so multiple neighboring cities can pool staff and resources. They recommended multi‑year monitoring — roughly five years — to detect measurable ecological changes.

Implementation details: The plan recommends combining organized archery hunts (restricted access, proficiency testing, liability mechanisms) for public‑land or private‑land participation with targeted USDA sharpshooter calls where safe. Presenters emphasized careful site selection (parks, DPW yards, cooperating private parcels), safety protocols, and venison processing and distribution chains.

Next steps: Students said the coalition and some cities have already adopted elements of the plan: Farmington Hills, Farmington and Southfield passed local deer‑management measures in 2025 and the urban plan is under review within a DNR advisory process. Farmer encouraged other local governments to contact him to join the coalition and offered to share the coalition’s one‑page join form and meeting schedule.

The commission’s role: Commissioners asked staff to share the materials, and thanked the student team for the presentation. The discussion closed with the commission inviting further outreach to neighboring municipalities and continuing public education and monitoring work.

The meeting then moved on to the next agenda item.