The deer are not the invaders

Dear Editor,

This letter is in reference to last week’s letter to the editor “deer issues need to be addressed now.”

I feel the need to respond to the phrasing, opinion and misinformation in that letter. Any quotation marks I use will be referring to statements in that letter.

“On any given day, small groups of deer jaunt around our town. These hoofed invaders have always seemed abundant, but over the past decade they have reached extremely high counts.”

First of all, it’s not just our town. We build a town in their habitat. They are not invaders anymore than the “birds and smaller animals” are.

In that letter, one of the “hazards associated with high deer populations” was “Lyme disease.”

Deer-spread (ticks) Lyme disease has not been recorded anywhere near Green River. Check it out. I did. The issue of our deer population in town cannot be logically resolved to the satisfaction of the majority, but the spread of misinformation. Try planting deer-friendly plants -- conifers, decorative cedar and other flowering plants they refuse to eat, like Russian sage.

As for “ridding our town of these varmints” and “translocation of the offenders;” well, it’s still a somewhat free country. I hope Ms. Peterson will feel free to translocate to a place she won’t be offended by the varmints.

When I have visitors from our of state,they tell me how lucky I am to have deer in my yard on an almost daily basis.

I agree. It’s well worth the sacrifice of a few hollyhocks and to scoop up a little poo. Being near the wildlife is one of the reasons I moved to Wyoming and want to stay.

John Thomas

Green River