Feds OK plans for deer kills at Indiana Dunes

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — Federal officials have given final approval to a deer-management plan authorizing deer kills at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

The plan approved June 22 by the National Park Service calls for sharpshooters to begin taking deer this fall at the northwestern Indiana park.

It also permits the capture and euthanasia of deer and using fencing and repellents to keep deer away from rare plants and restored areas of the park.

The Chesterton Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/No04Dx ) the Park Service said the plan will “preserve the exceptional biodiversity within the park.”

Wildlife biologists will monitor deers’ impact to park vegetation each year during the long-range plan to determine whether the management efforts should be adjusted to better control the deer population.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.