By Site Ecology Team (SET), Wildlife and Industry Together (WAIT), Bill Willis, Bill Steinmetz, John McLamb
October 1, 2014
NIEHS and EPA will soon be participating in the annual SOR “Season of Rut” and we want all employees to be well informed about this special time. Mark your calendars so as not to miss any of the thrill or excitement this year. These celebrations began well before the federal government obtained this property in 1966 and are expected to continue long after we’ve retired. It’s important to be vigilant and remain safe during this period of exuberance. Although we do share our environment with the white-tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus), they are considered wilder than we and should be viewed with caution. They and we sometimes forget this important relationship on campus and allow ourselves to invade each others’ comfort zones. Let’s avoid an unfortunate situation, as some at EPA have found out.
We asked the local deer to speak on the record but they declined an interview. We offered to let them critique this piece but they refused. Therefore, the comments and observations herein are from a human’s perspective.
Thanks to Beth Gunn, Program Coordinator, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for helpful discussion and Steve McCaw for providing NIEHS deer pictures.
For more information, see: