HomeMy WebLinkAboutLyon, Elisabeth.PDF2l December zotr
To Mayor Supr,on, VCH Board of Trustees and Chief Boyce:
I am u'riting to object to the proposed plan to bait and shoot the deer in
the Village of Cayuga I{eights (VCH), to register my deep concern at the spectacle
of blatant fear-monger:ing on the part of some proponents of the plan who spoke
at the public heraring earlier this #eek (zB October) and to discuss your mandate
for our community.
In a prerrious letter, from my perspective as a resident of the Village, a
homeor,rmer and a gardener, I suggested some no kill alternatives for Village
gardeners to protect their landscaping from deer browsing, such as repellents,
netting and appropriaLe selection pf plants (not all are unappealing, far from it;
deer do not eat peonies, for example).
I support the very sensible proposal put forth recently at the 19 October
meeting to amend the current VCH ordinance regarding fences. It is important
however to be mindful of the fact that part of the art of gardening is learning how
to work and live with t-he natural oonditions we are given, including clay soil, an
intemperate climate and cohabitiirg with other species of which the deer are only
one.
I have sr:en rabbits (who are capable of doing at least as much damage as
deer), woodchucks and, most recdntly, no fewer than fifteen wild turkeys
browsing my plants. VVill they all be the next targets? What kind of community
laments the los;s of tulips but advocates killing animals? This attitude is
antithetical to the spirit of Cayuga Heights and it is your responsibility to rise
above these mean-spirited and misguided demands, not to cater to them.
Several of you irt different limes have asserted that you have a "mandate"
to pursue vigor:ously aL plan "to do something" about the deer, which apparently
means killing them, despite evidence that this plan will neither solve all the
problems of yo,ur most vocal constituents nor will it achieve its stated goals of
reducing the e,,'er-shilting deer population, Lyme Disease, ruined landscapes or
traffic accidents.
You choose to pursue a costly plan that will bring sharpshooters into our
residential neilghborhoods, causirlg many more problems than it seeks to solve,
despite the aveLilability of alternative plans, one of which is humane sterilization
thai a VCH resident has offered td finance. The consequences of your decision
will reveal your "manrlate" to be d shortsighted and narrow attempt to remake
the world in thLe imag,e of your ou/n desire and/or that of your most misguided
constituents. Ilistory has shornm that the road to disaster is paved with such
attempts.
I would suggest, respectfufly, that your mandate is larger than the dubious
claim that thor;e who'voted for yo{r voted for killing the deer. Your mandate has to
do with your present responsibility to the future of this community, your charge
to preserve whLat is be,st about living here in the midst of extraordinary natural
beauty, which necessarily includds species other than ourselves. Our Village is
very small but your decisions about its future r,r{iil reach wellibeyond it. If you
pu-rsue this,plan, you will be responsible for tarfrishing the progressive and
enlightened character and reputation of our co{rmunity, leiving the rest of us to
suffer the consequences well beyond your tenuJe.
Sincerely,
I
Elisabeth H. Lyon
Irz8 North Sunset Drive
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