On November 11, 2020

Protecting Vt’s forests, one deer at a time

By Lynn McNamara

Several years ago I made a decision that came as a surprise to many of my friends and family. I was going to start hunting deer here in Vermont. As a lifelong animal lover and considered the family “tree hugger,” this desire to hunt seemed to some to be at odds with my dedication to conservation.

As a child growing up in Massachusetts, it was very rare to see a deer and even when I first moved to Vermont over 20 years ago, a deer in the yard was a special sight. But in the last two decades, with few predators, warmer winters, and declining numbers of hunters, the deer population has rapidly expanded in many parts of Vermont — resulting in negative impacts to our landscape.

I have had the privilege to steward lands that have been conserved by The Nature Conservancy for the past 13 years, and in that time I have witnessed our forests change. The forests now appear more open and park-like, if they are not infested with invasive plants such as honeysuckle, buckthorn and barberry. They are composed of widely spaced mature trees, with few saplings or seedlings growing in the understory. While not always apparent at first glance, what is missing is the next generation of trees and the complexity and diversity of species that used to be typical of our Northern hardwood forests. This altered landscape is primarily due to the overpopulation of deer that are over-browsing a vital ecological stage that promotes healthy forests.

I’ve always felt a strong connection to nature and the lands around me, a land ethic, which has grown over time. Therefore, I have devoted my personal and professional life to nurturing the natural communities that sustain us. I do this through actions both big and small, like  picking up roadside trash, planting flowers and shrubs that provide food for pollinators and wildlife, and through my work restoring wetland and forest systems that have been impacted by past human use. Witnessing the change in our forests inspired me to take even further action and that led to my becoming a hunter.

After listening to local foresters, ecologists and wildlife biologists, I learned that deer hunters provide a valuable service to our lands by restoring a system of checks on a population that has been disrupted by the absence of predators, and a changing climate.

Just as I hit the roads to clean up litter on Green Up Day in the spring, I retreat to the woods with my crossbow during hunting season and if I am successful, as I was earlier this season, I have a freezer full of sustainable and local meat to feed my family through the winter.

Lynn McNamara is the director of stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Medical debt relief is a direct investment in Vermonters

February 5, 2025
By Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak As Vermont’s Treasurer, I am committed to making investments that lower costs, strengthen our economy, and support healthier communities. I believe every Vermonter deserves a fair shot at success, regardless of the situation they are born into. Yet, for too many Vermonters, the cost of health care stands in the…

Tariffs

February 5, 2025
President Trump’s warning of tariffs on neighboring countries, Mexico and Canada, and critical trading partner China got off to a false start on Monday, Feb. 3, with the current administration putting the plan on hold after conversations with Mexico and Canada. A trade war is already brewing with China, who countered with tariffs on U.S.…

Fishers in crisis, action needed

February 5, 2025
Dear Editor, I am a conservation biologist with a specific interest in wildlife. Last April, I wrote and submitted a paper to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife board (FWB) summarizing the results from numerous studies across the U.S. and Canada indicating that anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) threatens fisher populations. Vermont had the highest exposure rate among…

MVSU district explains budget, cuts

February 5, 2025
Dear Editor, Editor’s note: the following letter was addressed specifically to members of the Mountain Views School District. As the vote on the MVSD budget approaches, we wish to further clarify the decisions that were made in the creation of this budget. Through months of meetings with the administration and board members, and consideration of…