A Tempest In A Teapot?

The discussion about the deer, to kill or not to kill, goes round and round. There are heated debates taking place on every chat board and every corner regarding the elimination of deer in South Mountain Reservation.

There are those who say, quite honestly, that deer are vermin, with the status of rats and raccoons, that they are harmful to humans and other animals alike.

There are those who say that there is no other way to manage the deer population other than to slaughter these deer in an orchestrated massacre. That without this slaughter, the Reservation will be defoliated and its future threatened.

There are those who say that there are better ways to manage the deer other than posting men in trees with guns shooting at the deer feeding below. Sometimes killing them, sometimes wounding them.

And there are those that say all this discussion about the deer is a tempest in a teapot. That the issue of deer management is just not that important in the overall scheme of things.

And all of these factions are passionate in their belief. Just mention the subject and watch the flames that ignite.

But just about everyone agrees, a rare occurrence, that there is an inescapable correlation between deer overpopulation and land over development. Were we the forested, agri-society we once were in Essex County, there would be plenty of land to co-exist peacefully.

And just about everyone agrees, depending on whether they are pro or anti slaughter, that the Essex County Executive has his finger on the gun trigger, whether he pulls it or hires out to have it pulled.

Finally, there is agreement that depending on their vote on the issue, the West Orange Town Council will be supported or challenged in the next election. Indeed, it is feasible that the deer management issue could be a significant deciding factor as to who gets elected and who does not in the next Town Council election.

So as to the question of whether the deer management plan debate is a tempest in a teapot, I would have to say most definitely not. When an issue generates this much animosity, when it becomes an every day topic of conversation, when it underlines some fundamental issues about the way a town develops and when it can be a one issue vote in local elections, it is far more than a tempest in a teapot.

It's the morning cup of coffee that charges up the day and provides the parameters by which we judge character, define our values and proceed with our lives.