Do you have a question about deer impacts or solutions for your community? Chances are, another community has asked the same question. We have summarized many of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to community-based deer management here, along with responses that have been helpful for other communities. While questions are organized by role, some of the questions are repeated as they are relevant to multiple roles.
Community-based deer management, or CBDM, involves collaboration of local entities (e.g., local governments, nongovernmental organizations) with state wildlife management agencies for the purpose of addressing a local deer management issue. CBDM efforts are undertaken to make decisions and design action strategies that will be implemented in a small geographic area, such as a village or town, municipal park system, or even a single neighborhood.
Identifying stakeholders to participate in stakeholder processes is challenging. Decker et al. 2002 suggest a number of routes to go to find stakeholder participants. First, you might consider consult experts, i.e. those who seem already to know much about your deer management problem. They may be in a good position to suggest others. If you are looking for representatives from specific groups, the best approach may be to have those groups select their own representatives to participate. You may also snowball sample stakeholders; once you have identified a few stakeholders, you can ask them to help you find others. You might also advertise for volunteers, or keep the process open to anyone who might want to join.
Stakeholder engagement can be accomplished in many ways, so it does not look exactly the same in every community. Some communities get input from public meetings or comments on proposed actions; some collect information using surveys of community residents. Other communities involve stakeholders more directly, using in face-to-face deliberations like focus groups or workshops. Over time communities may gather information using a combination of several approaches. The best approach for engaging people will depend on factors such as: the level of conflict over deer, the number of stakeholders affected, how interested and aware stakeholders are in the deer management issue, how much information decision makers need from stakeholders, as well as any resource limitations your community might have. For more discussion on this, please see Decker et al. 2002.
Usually, no. It's best to assume that there will be controversy. Controversy typically arises around two issues: (1) whether or not deer impacts should be managed at all and (2) which methods of deer management are acceptable. Try and separate these two types of controversy. The first issue, whether or not deer impacts should even be managed, should be resolved before you tackle the acceptability of the approach taken to address those impacts. Engaging in well-designed stakeholder involvement efforts and informative communication can help communities constructively deal with these two sources of controversy.
To understand and then work through a local deer management issue, it is important to engage people who represent the full range of deer-related interests and concerns in your community. But many communities find it challenging to identify and involve people with different “stakes” in local deer management decisions.
Consulting with experts who already know much about local deer management can be a good place to start They may be able to suggest the types of people you should engaged in discussions. If you are looking for representatives from specific groups, the best approach may be to have those groups select their own representatives to participate in any group (e. g., Deer Task Force) formed to lead discussions about local deer management. Once you have identified a few individuals with particular interests or concerns, you can ask them to help you find others who should be involved in community discussions. You might also advertise for volunteers, or keep community committees open to anyone who might want to join.
There are many kinds of experts you might consult throughout your community’s CBDM process. Different experts have different kinds of expertise, including expertise implementing the types of management alternatives a community is considering, expertise on state wildlife management laws and policies, and expertise on process management and public involvement. Some wildlife experts may work for or have worked for a government agency or organization, have university credentials, or be a certified wildlife biologist. It may also be helpful to get a sense of what kinds of experiences the expert you are considering has had with respect to deer management. Your community may benefit from consulting more than one expert for different phases.
There's no right amount of information your community needs to know in order to move forward. As described in the best practices described on this site, it's important to understand the nature of the deer management problem in your community, and to bring in content experts as needed. Education and learning is an important part of the CBDM process. However, it is possible for a community to experience "paralysis by analysis", feeling like there is still too much to learn before a decision can be made. But, at some point, your community will have to move forward. Do your due diligence regarding education and learning, make a decision, and when you reach the evaluation stage of the process, be willing to reassess your decision given any new information your community has learned.
Please see our resources tab to find a variety of information about deer and deer management that you may find interesting. Your county’s Cooperative Extension office may be another place you can contact to find out about any upcoming programs or workshops related to deer and deer management. Many counties' Cooperative Extension offices have natural resources specialists who may engage in outreach related to deer.
There are a variety of ways that different communities’ may involve community members in the deer management decision-making process. Some communities may implement a survey of residents; hold public meetings or workshops; recruit citizens to sit on a deer-management decision-making body; solicit feedback through a municipal website; or involve citizens in the monitoring of deer impacts. A good place to start is to contact your local elected municipal leader’s office to find out about these opportunities. Many communities may also include this information on their municipal website.
There are many actions community members can take to help reduce conflict between people and deer. Residents may landscape with deer-resistant plantings, install deer-proof fencing, or take steps to reduce contraction of Lyme disease, to name a few. If you browse our selection of resources, you will find information on some of the actions that you may take. In addition, your county’s Cooperative Extension office may also provide educational resources you may find helpful, from informational pamphlets to community workshops.
Leaders can help their communities by creating processes that increase knowledge about the issue, by helping to build working relationships, partnerships and informal networks, and by helping to foster community commitment to a common purpose. See Decker et. al (2004) for further discussion of the essential roles that local leaders play in successful CBDM cases.
Not every community needs a formal deer management plan, but it is important for your community to consider what might be elements of a deer management program. For example, this includes understanding the impacts that are driving your community’s deer management problem, understanding the data you need and how to collect it, knowing what your goal for management is and how much time and money you can commit and over what time horizon.
For more information on direct actions for managing deer, we suggest visiting the website http://wildlifecontrol.info or reviewing our resources page for additional help.
Formal facilitators can be found by contacting your local state wildlife management agency, which may have citizen participation specialists or other professionals who may perform this role. Your state's Cooperative Extension system may have educators who facilitate public processes, so contacting your local county's Extension office may be a good place to begin. In addition, private consultants may provide facilitation services, as well as local nonprofits or dispute resolution centers. Finally, there may be respected leaders in your own community who, while not formally trained in facilitation, may have the skills necessary to aid in facilitating public meetings or deliberations. Please also visit our resources tab for a list of organizations that may aid in helping you find a facilitator.
Clearly identified ground rules for participant behavior and for group decision making are an important initial task for community deliberative processes. Respect and recognition without accusations, blaming, or making personal attacks, as suggested by Forester (2009), are good rules to begin with, coupled with allowing each participant the opportunity to speak without being spoken over. Some facilitators may even use tools such as “talking sticks” to allow participants the opportunity to speak in small group processes. These ground rules are often agreed upon and suggested by process participants, as well as facilitators. Appendix B of Susskind and Cruikshank (2006) lay out detailed ground rules for both the behavior of participants and for decision making, if you are looking for a more specific and comprehensive list.
There is no easy answer to this question. Time will vary based on a number of factors and needs specific to your community, including the amount of time and money you are willing to contribute, the support of local elected officials, the management method selected, and public support of the effort. CBDM is often not a one-off effort, but an ongoing commitment by a community. Some communities are able to come to a decision and take actions quickly (i.e., less than a year). In other communities it can take years to agree upon and implement deer management actions. Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of the time commitment that may be needed. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
Implementing a resident survey requires a large time commitment as well as financial resources to commit to developing a survey instrument. Often, developing and implementing an effective survey will require the involvement of experts in this skill. You may wish to consult your local university or a private company that specializes in survey design and implementation. For example surveys, please visit our resources tab; you will find example deer management-related surveys under the “tools” heading.
The best practices outlined on this site have provided you with some actions that can help create a context that fosters success (stakeholder involvement, informative communication, education and learning). Also, keep in mind that "success" may be hard to define, and setting goals that you are able to monitor and evaluate is an important component for tracking progress. Decker et al (2004) also suggest the following components of a successful process:
Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of how those communities’ processes progressed. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
After the issue has been identified, and you understand what is and is not possible in your community, it is time to explore what tools or combination of tools or actions are available to you. Some tools may need to be implemented by a community, some by individuals. These tools have varying costs, effectiveness, and time horizons that a community needs to understand before they select the method or combination of methods that is right for them. This means weighing the alternatives available, and being open to continual evaluation and reassessment of your community’s use of those tools. This also means being adaptable in your approach and changing that approach as conditions change—conditions which you may be trying to affect as well as conditions which may be beyond your control. Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of which actions were selected in different context. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
Implementing your deer management plan may require the involvement of private firms, non-profit organizations, or local citizens. Please see our list of experts to help you find the appropriate assistance in your area.
There's no right amount of information your community needs to know in order to move forward. As described in the best practices described on this site, it's important to understand the nature of the deer management problem in your community, and to bring in content experts as needed. Education and learning is an important part of the CBDM process. However, it is possible for a community to experience "paralysis by analysis", feeling like there is still too much to learn before a decision can be made. But, at some point, your community will have to move forward. Do your due diligence regarding education and learning, make a decision, and when you reach the evaluation stage of the process, be willing to reassess your decision given any new information your community has learned.
No, not necessarily. It is important that facilitators be perceived as unbiased by stakeholders, and sometimes being viewed as not having a stake in deer management may be a benefit to facilitation. However, a facilitator does need to have some knowledge about the issue, especially given that part of their role is to help create knowledge among stakeholders. What is especially important is that facilitators are able to effectively help foster partnerships and information networks, create decision-making processes that are regarded as fair and credible among stakeholders, and facilitate discussion that leads to a common community purpose.
Facilitation skills may partly account for why different communities may have different outcomes for similar processes. If training is available to you, you might find it helpful. Some organizations (see our resources tab) may provide training specifically on conflict resolution and negotiation, but many accomplished facilitators have developed their skills through experience. So no, training is not a requirement, but it can be beneficial. Resources for facilitators can be found under our “resources” tab; a few good references to begin with may be these three books.
Clearly identified ground rules for participant behavior and for group decision making are an important initial task for community deliberative processes. Respect and recognition without accusations, blaming, or making personal attacks, as suggested by Forester (2009), are good rules to begin with, coupled with allowing each participant the opportunity to speak without being spoken over. Some facilitators may even use tools such as “talking sticks” to allow participants the opportunity to speak in small group processes. These ground rules are often agreed upon and suggested by process participants, as well as facilitators. Appendix B of Susskind and Cruikshank (2006) lay out detailed ground rules for both the behavior of participants and for decision making, if you are looking for a more specific and comprehensive list.
The best practices outlined on this site have provided you with some actions that can help create a context that fosters success (stakeholder involvement, informative communication, education and learning). Also, keep in mind that "success" may be hard to define, and setting goals that you are able to monitor and evaluate is an important component for tracking progress. Decker et al (2004) also suggest the following components of a successful process:
Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of how those communities’ processes progressed. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
Please see our resources tab for a variety of educational resources that may be helpful to you. You will even find some pre-made PowerPoint presentations that you may use and alter for educational purposes. You may also find it helpful to contact your county's Cooperative Extension office for additional educational resources.
There's no right amount of information your community needs to know in order to move forward. As described in the best practices described on this site, it's important to understand the nature of the deer management problem in your community, and to bring in content experts as needed. Education and learning is an important part of the CBDM process. However, it is possible for a community to experience "paralysis by analysis", feeling like there is still too much to learn before a decision can be made. But, at some point, your community will have to move forward. Do your due diligence regarding education and learning, make a decision, and when you reach the evaluation stage of the process, be willing to reassess your decision given any new information your community has learned.
For more information on direct actions for managing deer, we suggest visiting the website http://wildlifecontrol.info or reviewing our resources page for additional help.
Formal facilitators can be found by contacting your local state wildlife management agency, which may have citizen participation specialists or other professionals who may perform this role. Your state's Cooperative Extension system may have educators who facilitate public processes, so contacting your local county's Extension office may be a good place to begin. In addition, private consultants may provide facilitation services, as well as local nonprofits or dispute resolution centers. Finally, there may be respected leaders in your own community who, while not formally trained in facilitation, may have the skills necessary to aid in facilitating public meetings or deliberations. Please also visit our resources tab for a list of organizations that may aid in helping you find a facilitator.
There is no easy answer to this question. Time will vary based on a number of factors and needs specific to your community, including the amount of time and money you are willing to contribute, the support of local elected officials, the management method selected, and public support of the effort. CBDM is often not a one-off effort, but an ongoing commitment by a community. Some communities are able to come to a decision and take actions quickly (i.e., less than a year). In other communities it can take years to agree upon and implement deer management actions. Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of the time commitment that may be needed. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
Implementing a resident survey requires a large time commitment as well as financial resources to commit to developing a survey instrument. Often, developing and implementing an effective survey will require the involvement of experts in this skill. You may wish to consult your local university or a private company that specializes in survey design and implementation. For example surveys, please visit our resources tab; you will find example deer management-related surveys under the “tools” heading.
The best practices outlined on this site have provided you with some actions that can help create a context that fosters success (stakeholder involvement, informative communication, education and learning). Also, keep in mind that "success" may be hard to define, and setting goals that you are able to monitor and evaluate is an important component for tracking progress. Decker et al (2004) also suggest the following components of a successful process:
Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of how those communities’ processes progressed. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.
After the issue has been identified, and you understand what is and is not possible in your community, it is time to explore what tools or combination of tools or actions are available to you. Some tools may need to be implemented by a community, some by individuals. These tools have varying costs, effectiveness, and time horizons that a community needs to understand before they select the method or combination of methods that is right for them. This means weighing the alternatives available, and being open to continual evaluation and reassessment of your community’s use of those tools. This also means being adaptable in your approach and changing that approach as conditions change—conditions which you may be trying to affect as well as conditions which may be beyond your control. Browsing our library of cases may be helpful to you in finding communities that may be similar to your own, in order to get a sense of which actions were selected in different context. However, keep in mind that what worked in one community, no matter how similar it seems to your own, is not guaranteed to work in yours.