The Fire Island National Seashore has elected to kill deer on our barrier island and the William Floyd Estate using hunting, sharpshooting and "euthanasia of friendly deer".  This is FINS "preferred" method of population control despite extensive scholarly conclusions that killing deer as management triggers the birth of many more fawns.

FINS’ plan to kill deer in the towns and hamlets of Fire Island is particularly cruel considering that these deer have no fear of humans as there has been no tradition of hunting.  

The majority of residents and visitors regard this peaceful coexistence with wildlife as a unique and enchanting experience.  But FINS calls it "adverse interaction between deer and humans" that must be stopped by eliminating these deer.

The last time FINS elected to perform a hunt, those efforts failed in a storm of controversy and residents found an effective and humane alternative to control deer numbers by keeping deer from giving birth:  they engaged a team of scientists and The Humane Society of the United States to conduct a PZP immunocontraceptive project that not only kept the deer from fawning, but drastically reduced the population.

FINS took over the successful project anticipating a budget windfall but soon abandoned it due to mismanagement.  Now, many years later, the immunocontracepted does have lived out peaceful lives but younger does that were not vaccinated are beginning to give birth.  Having failed to continue this cutting edge management, FINS is resorting to lethal, ineffective, costly and unpopular methods to manage our deer.  Please join us in asking that PZP immunocontraception be reinstated by signing the petition below.