Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conferences
Date of this Version
October 1987
Abstract
Prior to addressing our topic of "Research Needs in Wildlife Damage Control" it is necessary to provide you with the perspective of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as it relates to wildlife damage. The Department does not possess statutory authority over the management of the State's wildlife resources. We, therefore, lack the ability to address agricultural crop losses from a statewide or regional perspective through the utilization of population management. Instead we must approach damage control on an individual farm basis with the impact of our present control activities and practices being somewhat localized. Our involvement in this area of study is a direct result of the concerns and perspectives raised by our primary constituents "the farmers". It was their concerns that initiated our participation in wildlife damage control in 1979 with the onset of our sponsorship of deer damage control research at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies.