Arlington leaders have taken the last procedural step required to begin the culling of deer on public land across the county.
County Board members on Saturday (Nov. 16) voted 5-0 for zoning-ordinance changes that will permit sharpshooters to begin dealing with what Arlington officials say is an overpopulation of deer.
“It’s been a long time getting here,” Board Chair Libby Garvey said of the two-year process.
Garvey, a strong proponent of culling efforts, said it was unfair to the rest of the environmental ecosystem to have the deer population out of whack with resources available to support it.
The culling effort is an opportunity to “try the best we can to keep things in balance,” she said.
The effort will begin in about a year, a later start than some Board members wanted but one staff said was the only feasible option given the intricacies involved.
Saturday’s actions were focused entirely on changing county zoning and ordinances related to carrying and use of firearms on public property. The changes are related only to the deer effort.
The vast majority of speakers at the requisite public hearing were in favor of the effort moving forward.
“Arlingtonians don’t like the idea of killing defenseless animals,” said Bill Browning of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. But the sharpshooting alternative, on balance, is the best approach to take, he said.
Andrea Jaimes disagreed. The county government’s “shock-and-awe” approach would be ineffective over the long term, and it “should not be considered unreasonable or impractical” to substitute non-lethal methods, the local resident said.
Jaimes found a semi-ally in Board member Takis Karantonis. Although he voted in favor of the measures needed to bring sharpshooters in, Karantonis had qualms.
“I’m not so convinced” it is the humane approach, Karantonis said. “Wildlife also has rights,” including the right not to unnecessarily die in agony, he said.
Karantonis, who likely will chair the Board next year, pressed for follow-up activities after the start of culling.
“We definitely need to come back and see how it works,” he said.
Throughout the two years of discussion, about the lone organized opposition to use of lethal means to reduce the county’s population of white-tailed deer came from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. In September, when it became clear Board members would move forward, that group essentially threw in the towel.
On the other side, a variety of county-government advisory boards and environmental groups got in line behind the staff proposal.
The current timetable leading up to the start of culling, per county staff:
- January 2025: A formal management plan will be developed at the staff level
- February 2025: A new aerial drone survey of deer populations will be conducted
- Spring 2025: Efforts at contracting with a professional firm to do the culling will take place
- Fall 2025: An herbivory-impact assessment will be conducted to use as a baseline
- Winter 2025-26: Culling will begin
Two of Arlington’s neighbors — the District of Columbia and Fairfax County — currently have deer-culling efforts in place. But Alexandria and Falls Church, which also border Arlington, do not. Active public archery has been occurring at the Army Navy Country Club since 2012, county officials noted.
