Fall 2000

Forest, deer, and democracy

by Steve Frankel

A confusingly worded referendum in a Lake County suburb means a big education job for conservationists there.

It all started when the Village of Lincolnshire acquired a 48-acre gem, a mix of ancient woodland, prairie and wetland. The land was rich, but needed brush control, weeding, fire, and other stewardship. The rare plants and animals responded gloriously, but a hunting ban soon reversed the process, as the rare plants and young trees began to vanish down the throats of white-tailed deer. When research confirmed that deer control was needed, an "animal rights" group mounted opposition. Their latest tactic is the referendum.

Florsheim Woods is home to a plant that is on the federal threatened list, the prairie white-fringed orchid, and many other rare species. But the individual species are less significant than the high-quality ecosystems that harbor them. Because of its quality the site was legally dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1996, giving it maximum protection under state law.

Florsheim Nature Preserve contains two types of woods, a sedge meadow, and prairie. The upland woods contain a mix of white oak, red oak, and hickory, and the wetter areas feature swamp white oak. According to Village Trustee Ann Maine, also a lecturer in biology at Lake Forest College, "Everything currently in the preserve was there when we started our stewardship. We have done no planting—merely removed the invasive species that had prevented the natural community from flourishing."

Former Village Forester Sara Utter reported that deer hunting was allowed on property adjacent to the preserve until 1997. "When the hunting was banned," Utter explained, "there was a noticeable increase in the deer population in the preserve area." In the words of botanist Susanne Masi, contracted by the Village of Lincolnshire to study the vegetation, "We have observed deer browse on more than 40 species, including cardinal flower, turk’s cap lily, turtlehead—even tall goldenrod, common buckthorn, and green ash."

In nearby Ryerson Woods, the Lake County Forest Preserves began the culling of deer by sharpshooters in 1995. Since then, the initially contentious issue has been widely discussed and a general consensus in support of the program has emerged in Lake County. "We had to get over this impression that every deer is Bambi’s mother," says Della Hamburg, president of Lake County Audubon Society.

The wording of the advisory referendum, as drafted by the protest group, would replace lethal deer control with cages on the rare plants. That might sound practical to some people at first, but Steve Byers of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission says it misses the point: "Sure we could put cages over the orchids and maybe a few other species too. But the purpose of deer control is to protect the whole ecosystem, not just a few rare plants. Ultimately, balance is good for the deer, the trees, the butterflies, the whole ecosystem."

Lincolnshire resident Joan Palincsar puts it this way, "We’re trying to get the word out so people will vote ‘no’ on that referendum. Then a smaller number of deer can eat healthy plants in a healthy ecosystem."

Though surrounded by homes and athletic fields, the Florsheim Nature Preserve is the last bastion for hundreds of species that need "good stewardship." Photo by Steve Byers.