From Laura Simon
Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program Humane Society of the United States
To the editor,
Keeping the public safe when flying is of utmost importance. However, the continuing practice of shooting deer at the Monroe Municipal Airport is more likely to jeopardize public safety than protect it.
So how does hunting create public safety issues? Hunted deer panic and run to escape, making a collision with a plane even more of a possibility. There's also the issue of the close proximity of a public park right there on airport grounds.
But most importantly, hunting is futile, because nothing will stop deer from the surrounding area from wandering onto the airfield again, as has been occurring. Apparently there's been a lot of hunting on airport grounds for 12 years, yet as predicted, deer have remained a presence on the airfield as more deer replace those removed by hunting.
Why have airport officials not opted for a better solution, particularly since the best solution of all is affordable and readily available to the Monroe Airport, for the asking? That is, if the airport erects a proper woven wire fence around the runways, then public safety is assured, not just now but in the long run.
Better yet, federal and state funding is available to pay for the lion's share of the fencing, leaving the airport to cover only 2.5 percent of the cost. Why has funding not been sought by the city for this permanent solution?
We hope that the deer shooting plan will stop diverting officials from the real solution - the one which would make Monroe Municipal Airport safer for everyone.
Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program Humane Society of the United States
To the editor,
Keeping the public safe when flying is of utmost importance. However, the continuing practice of shooting deer at the Monroe Municipal Airport is more likely to jeopardize public safety than protect it.
So how does hunting create public safety issues? Hunted deer panic and run to escape, making a collision with a plane even more of a possibility. There's also the issue of the close proximity of a public park right there on airport grounds.
But most importantly, hunting is futile, because nothing will stop deer from the surrounding area from wandering onto the airfield again, as has been occurring. Apparently there's been a lot of hunting on airport grounds for 12 years, yet as predicted, deer have remained a presence on the airfield as more deer replace those removed by hunting.
Why have airport officials not opted for a better solution, particularly since the best solution of all is affordable and readily available to the Monroe Airport, for the asking? That is, if the airport erects a proper woven wire fence around the runways, then public safety is assured, not just now but in the long run.
Better yet, federal and state funding is available to pay for the lion's share of the fencing, leaving the airport to cover only 2.5 percent of the cost. Why has funding not been sought by the city for this permanent solution?
We hope that the deer shooting plan will stop diverting officials from the real solution - the one which would make Monroe Municipal Airport safer for everyone.
