GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site will conduct lethal removal of white-tailed deer as part of the White-tailed Deer Management Plan, the park announced Monday.
The deer removal will begin this month and run through March 2022, the park said.
"This action addresses over-browsing of native vegetation and agricultural crops and is a management strategy that supports long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of critical elements of the cultural landscape and other natural and cultural resources while maintaining a deer population at both park units," the park said in a press release. "The cultural landscapes of both park units are fundamental resources and critical to the interpretation of the events that took place at each park."
Hunting is not permitted inside the two parks; only qualified federal employees will take part in the effort to manage the deer populations affecting the parks, the press release added.
The United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services will be doing the work under an inter-agency agreement with the National Park Service.
NPS will coordinate the planned activities with the borough of Gettysburg and the surrounding townships, which include Cumberland, Mount Joy and Straban.
State law enforcement officials and the Pennsylvania Game Commission will also be appraised, the park said.
In June of 2017, the Pennsylvania Game Commission designated a new Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area which includes a portion of Gettysburg National Military Park and all of Eisenhower National Historic Site. For this culling season, all culled deer will be tested for CWD regardless of which area they are taken from.
Once negative CWD tests are confirmed, all venison will be donated to local area food banks and non-profits via United Way of Adams County, the park said.
