I remember the first time I toured Binghamton University’s campus. During the tour, the guide mentioned the Nature Preserve: I immediately perked up. It reminded me of a similar preserve called Teatown Lake Reservation near my hometown. My dad and I took a walk to the bridge and took in the beauty the place had to offer. The similarities between the Nature Preserve and Teatown was one of the biggest factors in my decision to become a Bearcat.
I’m an environmental studies major, and I have a class with professor Richard Andrus. According to Andrus, the Nature Preserve will, for all intents and purposes, be gone in fifty years. The cause of the Preserve’s health decline is a severe overpopulation of deer, almost 100 per square mile. In a healthy forest, there should be around 10 deer per square mile. The deer eat all plant life in sight, preventing any consistent reproduction. The Preserve is in desperate need of a cull — an organized reduction of a particular species. Without a cull, most native trees, shrubs and other foliage will die off. Many people won’t stand for a cull because they don’t want to have the death of deer — the death of Bambi — on their conscience. People would protect one species rather than save an entire ecosystem.
The thought of the Nature Preserve disappearing terrifies me; future students deserve the same Preserve we are able to enjoy today. There have been past attempts to cull the deer population, but an outcry from animal rights activists put a stop to all efforts. President Stenger is reluctant to take action on this issue for public relations reasons and student support is low, due to a lack of general knowledge surrounding the issue.
The truth is that the Preserve needs this cull desperately. I abhor violence and if there were another realistic alternative I would be supporting it. Sterilization is financially inefficient and very ineffective and moving the deer would not solve the problem; culling is the only option. The deer running around the Preserve are slowly killing it; the disappearance of most plant life will have a dramatically negative effect on the other organisms that utilize the foliage as a habitat or food source. Forestry experts cannot venture a guess on the future of the Preserve.
As a community we need to look beyond the cuteness of deer. Ecosystems are delicate cycles that can be injured by the smallest of interruptions of the nature order of things. Humans have caused this problem by eliminating the deer’s natural predators. It is our responsibility to atone for our mistakes. Supporting a cull will allow the Preserve to heal naturally. New plants will grow and future generations will be able to enjoy a healthy, beautiful Nature Preserve.
My desire to protect the preserve is the reason for all of this. I have written a petition that I will begin distributing very soon. I urge the student body to support me on this issue. If we allow President Stenger to do nothing on this issue, our gorgeous Preserve will disappear. I refuse to let that happen. As an environmentalist, sometimes you need to draw a line in the sand. Take a stand with me and let’s save our Preserve.
– Alex Grabstein is a junior majoring in environmental studies