To the CRD February 1, 2012

February 1, 2012

Councillor Geoff Young

Chair, CRD Board of Directors

Dear Councillor Young:

By way of introduction, DeerSafe Victoria is a newly formed group of concerned Greater Victoria area residents who support safe, ethical and rational approaches to reducing and preventing deer-human conflict, and who strongly oppose a deer cull. We also stand firmly against the clovertrap/boltgun cull method which has been imported into our province from Helena, Montana, a method denounced by many respected wildlife scientists, veterinarians and the Humane Society of the United States as cruel and inhumane.

In his New Year’s message Governor General David Johnston called on Canadians to “build a smarter more caring Canada…” We understand that there are some challenges that arise when deer and humans share the same living space, but there are smarter, more caring ways to resolve those issues. It is up to us to seek practical ways to overcome co-existence issues in a responsible way.

We at DeerSafe Victoria have local, provincial and national support and request consultation in decisions being made by the CRD regarding deer management issues. We welcome any opportunity to participate as members of an Urban Deer Committee, to present reasoned and compassionate alternatives. Victoria, as capital of British Columbia, has an opportunity to set the standard in wildlife stewardship in our province and be an example to other municipalities throughout BC.

A representative from our group will be contacting you to arrange a meeting, prior to the next Planning, Transportation and Protective Services Committee meeting on February 22, 2012.

Sincerely,

Kelly Carson

Jordan Reichert

Sheila Carroll