OOS 19
White-Tailed Deer: Ecology, Management and Social Consequences Of An Overabundant Wildlife Species

Wednesday, August 7, 2013: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
101G, Minneapolis Convention Center
Organizer:
Lynn M. Christenson, Vassar College
Co-organizers:
Keri L. VanCamp, Vassar College; and Margaret L. Ronsheim, Vassar College
Moderator:
Lynn M. Christenson, Vassar College
Historically, many ungulate species in North America have been over-exploited through active hunting and non-management practices, resulting in extirpation or dramatic reductions in their numbers. Subsequently, the culture of hunting in some regions led to programs that promote ungulate game species (USFW), resulting in increased population sizes. More recently there has been a notable decline in the practice of hunting through decreased access to property and the movement of people to urban environments where hunting is viewed as less than civil. These two paths, coupled with profound changes in the landscape through the expansion of human development, and the reduction of native predators, has led to an explosion in the population size of some ungulate species. White-tailed deer are an excellent example of this process. White-tailed deer overabundance has led to declines in native tree and shrub regeneration and decreased biodiversity as well as an increase in the incidence of diseases vehicle collisions and losses of gardens and crops. The purpose of this session is to discuss deer management in our modern world, exploring both ecological and social implications of management practice.
8:00 AM
 Deer and The Nature Conservancy: What organizations can do to limit impacts of deer on our forests
Troy Weldy, The Nature Conservancy of New York; Christopher L. Zimmerman, The Nature Conservancy of New York; Rebecca R. Shirer, The Nature Conservancy of New York
8:40 AM
 Deer and earthworms modify forest responses to climate change
Nicholas Fisichelli, National Park Service; Nico Eisenhauer, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Lee Frelich, University of Minnesota; Peter B. Reich, University of Minnesota
9:00 AM
 What twenty years of deer exclusion can do to an ecosystem
Margaret L. Ronsheim, Vassar College; Lynn M. Christenson, Vassar College; Keri L. VanCamp, Vassar College
9:40 AM
9:50 AM
 Why kill deer? Contraception and conflict in wildlife management
Allen T. Rutberg, Tufts-Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
10:10 AM
 Understanding suburbia's opposition to lethal control of wildlife
Stephen Vantassel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
10:30 AM
 Great Lakes forest restoration through gray wolf recolonization
David G. Flagel, University of Notre Dame; Gary E. Belovsky, University of Notre Dame
10:50 AM
 Herbivory by mule deer and cattle suppress aspen basal shoot height; threatening aspen stand resilience across three National Forests
Aaron Rhodes, Brigham Young University; Sam St.Clair, Brigham Young University; Ho Yi Wan, Brigham Young University
11:10 AM
 Conditional migration and foraging patch selection by a generalist herbivore results in a spatial resource subsidy in relict eastern hemlock forest
Bryan D. Murray, Purdue University; Christopher R. Webster, Michigan Technological University; Betsy E. Tahtinen, Michigan Technological University; Catherine S. Tarasoff, Michigan Technological University; Joseph K. Bump, Michigan Technological University; Andrew J. Burton, Michigan Technological University