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Angela Podufalski
From:Mary Mills
Sent:Thursday, November 08, 2012 8:12 AM
To:Angela Podufalski
Subject:FW: Freedom of Information Law Request - November 8, 2012
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
From: James LaVeck [mailto:james@tribeofheart.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 1:18 AM
To: Mary Mills
Subject: Freedom of Information Law Request - November 8, 2012
November 8, 2012
Board of Trustees
Village of Cayuga Heights
Marcham Hall
836 Hanshaw Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
Dear Trustees:
Under the provisions of the New York Freedom of Information Law, Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, I hereby request
a copy of records or portions thereof pertaining to (or containing the following):
1. All communications/correspondence/memos/emails (including all notes regarding conversations in person or by
phone or by video chat) from October 1, 2012 to the present between Village officials/Village appointees/Village
employees and:
a) Dr. Paul Curtis and/or colleagues and/or members of his staff/team including but not limited to Jay Boulanger;
b) Faculty and/or staff members of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and/or Lab of Ornithology and/or the
Department of Natural Resources, including but not limited to Bernd Blossey;
c) The firm White Buffalo and/or any of this firm's staff members/sub-contractors, including but not limited to Anthony
DeNicola, and/or any other agencies or wildlife management firms or consultants that provide deer culling services, deer
population studies, deer sterilization or other similar/related services; and
d) Tim Miller Associates and/or other environmental consultants/consulting firms.
2. From October 1, 2012 to the present, any Requests for Proposal (RFPs) or draft RFPs, proposals, contracts, or
communications/correspondence/memos/emails/notes connected with the provision of services by third parties related
to deer management in Cayuga Heights.
3. From October 1, 2012 to the present, records of any funds disbursed for any activities related to deer management.
4. From October 1, 2012 to the present, all documents, correspondence, lists, diagrams, maps and/or analyses
connected in any way with the use of land/properties/facilities/structures/locations in and/or around Cayuga Heights for
deer management activities.
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5. From October 1, 2012 to the present, all communications/correspondence/memos/emails/notes (including all notes
regarding conversations in person or by phone or by video chat) between Village officials/Village appointees/Village
employees and any third parties, including but not limited to insurance agents/insurance company representatives,
safety consultants/experts, mental health consultants/experts, animal science/animal welfare experts/consultants on
topics related to:
a) Deer management activities;
b) Killing of deer in proximity to homes;
c) Public safety, legal, financial and physical/mental health risks associated with the carrying out of deer management
activities, including but not limited to discharge of weapons in Cayuga Heights;
d) Potential legal or financial liabilities to individual residents who authorize the use of their property for deer
management activities;
e) Use of "net and bolt" or any other alternative to shooting as a method of killing deer;
f) The possibility or risk of the Village's planned deer management activities violating New York State's animal cruelty
statutes and/or measures taken to insure these statues and other laws/regulations pertaining the humane treatment of
animals will be followed.
6. From October 1, 2012 to the present, any documents/materials/applications submitted to the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in connection with the village's "deer remediation" plan, including,
but not limited to, materials/documents related to the process of applying for/receiving any
permits/permission/authorization from the DEC for actions related in any way to deer management.
7. From October 1, 2012 to the present, any permits/permissions/authorizations received from the DEC for actions
related in any way to deer management.
Under current New York State law, if an agency has the ability to scan records in order to transmit them via email and
doing so will not involve any effort additional to an alternative method of responding, it is required to do so. In that
instance, transferring a paper record into electronic format would eliminate any need to collect and account for money
owed or paid for preparing paper copies, as well as tasks that would otherwise be carried out. In addition, when a paper
record is converted into a digital image it remains available in electronic format for future use.
If all the requested records cannot be emailed to me, please inform me by email of the portions that cannot be emailed
and advise me of the cost for reproducing the remainder of the records requested. If, for any reason, any portion of my
request is denied, please inform me of the reasons for the denial in writing and provide the name and address of the
person or body to whom an appeal should be directed.
As you know, the Freedom of Information Law requires that an agency respond to a request within five business days of
receipt of a request. Therefore, I would appreciate a response as soon as possible and look forward to hearing from you
shortly.
Sincerely,
James LaVeck
PO Box 373
Ithaca, NY 14851
contact@cayugadeer.org