Plans for a “wildlife reduction operation” at a park in Clarksville, Indiana — which would have involved shooting and removing deer overnight from Feb. 23–27 — “has been temporarily paused,” according to officials who oversee the park.
Leaders with the River Heritage Conservancy, which manages Origin Park, said they decided to pause the operation after discussions with Clarksville Town Manager Kevin Baity. Officials did not say how long the pause might last.
The decision to halt the reduction effort at Origin Park followed concerns raised by Jeff Gahan and numerous Southern Indiana residents on social media and in official statements.
Conservancy officials said in a statement that they had worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address deer overpopulation after a site study by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources found the population was “exceeding recommended levels for the park’s habitat capacity.” Officials also said deer in the park showed signs of malnourishment.
“While population reduction is never a popular decision, even within our own office, it is a necessary course of action to protect the long-term health of the park,” River Heritage Conservancy officials said in a Feb. 23 statement. “This is not an eradication or hunting effort, but rather a rightsizing of the herd to ensure a healthy deer population and maintain the ecological balance for other native wildlife.”
Before the conservancy’s Feb. 23 announcement, leaders in New Albany received “numerous calls from (Ohio River) Greenway users, trail users, and other residents who are deeply concerned about public safety and the welfare of wildlife in and around Origin Park in Clarksville,” Gahan said, adding that he is “concerned” about the operation as well.
News of the reduction spread after the City of New Albany issued a “public safety notice” to residents on Feb. 22. Shortly before conservancy officials announced the pause, New Albany leaders said they would close the Ohio River Greenway at the Loop Island Wetlands near Silver Creek starting at 3 p.m. Feb. 23 in response to the deer reduction.
“The City of New Albany has had no part in the planning of this event,” Gahan said. “Like others, we share the same concerns about the justification for this.”
Gahan said he also spoke with Clarksville Town Council President Bob McEwen and others “regarding Origin Park’s decision to kill 80 deer using suppressed firearms.”
“Mr. McEwen expressed to me that he was also unaware of this planned slaughter by Origin Park, and mentioned that he would not have known about it without the City of New Albany’s previous Facebook post informing the public,” Gahan said.
Officials previously said crews would process the deer and their remains at Origin Park. Authorities also noted that Emery Crossing and McCollough Pike could close “for safety reasons” during a reduction operation.
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