02/06/10 - The Deer Task Force was astounded Tuesday by a Department of Environmental Management estimate of the number of deer number on the island following a January measurement of the herd density.

In an e-mail to First Warden Kim Gaffett, the DEM estimated that there are 85 deer per square mile on Block Island, six times larger than what is considered to be a healthy herd. That estimate translates to between 700 to 800 deer on the island, which Task Force member George Mellor said was “a sea change.”

However, other members of the Task Force were more skeptical. Chris Blansfield said that there was no mention in the e-mail of the method used to count the deer or the size of the search area. He explained that the state may have looked at a small section of the island and extrapolated the data. Other members agreed they need to gather more information about the DEM count and that they should also continue to pursue their own count.

Task Force Chair Mary Sue Record brought information about the costs for several infrared counting services. She had information from two sources, one of which estimated a cost of $25,000. The lowest price she found was just under $5,000, while the Task Force only has $1,700 for a count.

Members discussed a grant from the Center for Disease Control, which has money to support the reduction of deer herds in an effort to control Lyme disease. The task force decided to pursue the CDC grant, which they all thought would help them to focus on creating a comprehensive plan to reduce the deer population and solve their monetary needs.

More land

The Task Force has been working to open more land for hunting. The group is hoping to work with the Land Trust to accomplish this goal and Record is reviewing deeds held by the Land Trust to determine what lots are restricted for hunting in the future.

They also reviewed a set of digital maps provided by town GIS coordinator Martha Roldan that show which areas of the island allow hunting. The maps showed that hunting is allowed on 12 percent of the island, but many of the parcels are not connected.

Mellor praised island hunters for taking so many deer while working in such small space.

Hunters and task force members Chris Blane and Paul Deane presented the deer tag numbers for the season to date. Deane collected 99 tags during the shotgun season and around 45 for the muzzleloader season. Blane collected 72 for both seasons making the total just over 200.

Silver screen

There may be an opportunity for all those interested in the efforts of the Deer Task Force and its mission to drastically reduce or eliminate the deer herd to see its story in movie form. Tijana Petrovic, a documentary filmmaker from New York City who has visited the island for years, is planning a film about deer herd reduction on Block Island. She asked the task force if any of the members would be interested in talking to her about the film. She said that she still is in a very early stage researching the project but hopes to film Blane when he goes hunting later this month.