Steven Parkansky

Deer Problems in a Suburban Community: Deer Population, Deer-vehicle Collisions, and Public Opinion Steven Parkansky

This research project investigates the geography of deer in a suburban environment, and explores the effects, the presence and the movement of deer populations on human opinions, attitudes, health, and politics. The first section deals with the biology and habitat of deer with special emphasis on the suburban environment. It identifies four kinds of land classes in suburbia that contribute to the presence of deer. It further calculates the density of deer in one-hectare parcels for the entire study by developing a predictive model. The second section places special emphasis on deer related vehicle accidents since they are such a highly charged component of human interaction with deer. It explains deer vehicle accidents in terms of quantifiable environmental factors, and identifies those land classes that are adjacent to major roads that contribute to the occurrence and number of deer vehicle accidences. The last section, a survey of Amherst¿s human population, demonstrates the diversity and the complexity of opinions about deer. It further underscores the difficulty that decision-makers must overcome in order to solve the problems regarding deer in suburbia