2024-9-3_PR_Comm_Min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Brown asked about funding options to offset the loss of Veteran’s Park. Staff clarified that funding for alternate options for Veteran’s Park would come from the city, not from the proposed half-cent sales tax. Commissioner Boulton questioned what role the Parks and Recreation Commission would play in the planning and design of the proposed new park spaces. Staff noted that there would be collaboration on the aesthetics, designs, and amenities proposed in the new park spaces to offset the loss of Veteran’s Park. The Commission discussed the impact of the loss of parkland in the city and potential options to mitigate this loss. b) ANNUAL DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM UPDATE Staff provided background and an overview of the Roseville Deer Management Program. According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) calculations, Roseville has suitable habitat for 15 to 19 deer. Overpopulation leads to an unhealthy herd, starving deer, increased vehicular collisions, property damage, and other adverse outcomes. The City conducts an ongoing, annual deer reduction program in which wildlife management staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) use rifles to remove a predetermined number of deer from specified sites. This effort aims to bring Roseville’s deer population closer to a healthy level. Staff provided an overview of deer population data that is periodically collected by Ramsey County. The last reliable count was in 2021, when a minimum population of 41 deer in Roseville was recorded. Due to a lack of snow, no survey was completed in 2024. During the 2023-24 management season, 19 deer were removed (12 females—9 with two fetuses and 3 with one fetus). A female with only one fetus indicates overall health struggles. Additionally, several adult deer showed signs of having been struck by vehicles. The City received tags to remove up to 49 deer, but weather conditions posed challenges for removals metro-wide. Given the lack of accurate flyover data, staff must rely on other sources to estimate the current deer population. Anecdotal sources include reported public and staff deer sightings, USDA observations, collision data, the condition of deer harvested in the USDA report, bait consumption, and trail camera footage collected during the season. Based on the anecdotal data the following conclusions can be made:  Overpopulation of deer still exists  Population is becoming more healthy  Program has entered more of a maintenance mode 4