A separate blog has been created to discuss the issue of the deer "hunt" in South Mountain Reservation.
Because this blog, Over development in West Orange, NJ, is the property of WE CARE (West Essex Committee Against Rezoning Excess) it was suggested that we keep the two issues separate. WE CARE has three significant objectives on its plate, and diluting our efforts could be detrimental.
One of the objectives of WE CARE is to halt or at least limit the residential and commercial development of forested and wet land areas---- such as the 180 acres behind the West Essex Highlands. This development will necessitate the removal of 27,000 trees to make way for a housing development of 129 single family homes. The forested area is adjacent to the towns of Essex Fells and Verona.
We are hopeful that the newly adopted tree ordinance in West Orange will challenge the developer sufficiently, and doubt that the current economic climate and real estate market would encourage any one to build at this time.
But, this objective of WE CARE should focus forward, as well as focus backwards. The economy will one day improve, as will the stock and real estate markets. So, we need to be proactive in preparation for that "one day". No one knows for sure how long it will be before it arrives. WE CARE needs to be in position for that "one day".
And WE CARE is proceeding to bring on legal counsel toward that end.
Which brings us to looking backwards.
Despite the diverging and often vitriolic opinions about the "hunt" in the Reservation, some calling it a necessity and some calling it a slaughter, there is consensus on one issue, and possibly only one issue.
That issue is the recognition that the displacement of the deer and their concentration in the Reservation stems from the removal of the native habitat of the deer throughout West Essex. At one point, man and deer did coexist and there was a natural order of predation that kept the number of deer limited. With the development, the natural predators have disappeared and the land for deer to graze on has been concentrated in the few natural areas still left in place.
That issue is the recognition that the displacement of the deer and their concentration in the Reservation stems from the removal of the native habitat of the deer throughout West Essex. At one point, man and deer did coexist and there was a natural order of predation that kept the number of deer limited. With the development, the natural predators have disappeared and the land for deer to graze on has been concentrated in the few natural areas still left in place.
Unfortunately, one of these areas is the South Mountain Reservation where the deer are being identified as the cause of defoliation, Lyme Disease and car accidents.
The evidence of this is counter pointed at every turn.
And we certainly can't undo the massive amount of development that has taken place already. No one is ready to give up their homes or parks or golf courses so that the deer can live safely.
But though we have made the effort to keep the deer issue and the land conservation issue two separate threads of conversation, they do intertwine.
And wherever the deer issue is going, those concerned with Over Development should be there as well. In this particular instance, the fate of one is in arguably tied to the fate of the other.
