WASHINGTON – Tuesday was the first day of a months-long effort to reduce the deer population within Rock Creek Park.
Wildlife biologists and police will be in the park at night from now through March 31 to hunt and shoot the deer in order to thin the herd. Their efforts could result in road closures throughout the park and commuters are encouraged to find alternate routes.
Since the controversial nighttime hunts began in 2013, the management program has shrunk the deer population from about 80 per square to about half that size. A density of 15 to 20 deer per square mile is considered a healthy population size.
Animal activists protested previously arguing there are better alternatives than shooting the deer. One animal rights group tried to stop the hunt in court. But a judge reaffirmed the National Park Service’s authority to kill the deer.
The following roads could be closed between 5 p.m. and 4 a.m. during hunts:
- Ross Drive
- Ridge Road south of Grant Road
- Glover Road south of the Rock Creek Park Horse Center
- Horse Stable Road NW
The following roads could be closed between from 8:30 p.m. to 4 a.m.:
- Beach Drive
- Wise Road
- the entire length of Glover Road
- the entire length of Ridge Road
- Grant Road
- Sherrill Drive
- Joyce Road
- Morrow Drive
- West Beach Drive at Parkside Drive
- Stage Road
- Piney Branch Parkway
- Bingham Drive, NW
Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on Facebook.
