Cliff Island … what an amazing place I have found it to be in my five years
here. Wild and free, the furthest island out that Casco Bay Lines services. Not
white-washed by civilization quite so much as many other parts of the world.
It is in this spirit that I bring the issue of the deer [WWF June 02], which we
all know is foremost in people’s minds.
How many other places can children spot deer wandering free or see the
footprints where deer have crossed sand beaches?
In a sense the deer are a reflection of ourselves. In winter we go for weeks at
a time without a glimpse of the deer. As spring approaches we, as the deer,
start to wander the island. Yet, how few are the number of deer as compared to
the numbers of people arriving this Memorial Day weekend.
I realize I am in the minority as a deer proponent. Even close friends tell me,
“the deer must go!” But why must the deer go? Perhaps they wish we would go
and leave the island to them! What gives us the right to “delete” the deer? I, too,
am sad to see certain native plants eaten and feel a sense of loss. I sympathize
with the gardeners amongst us. Yet there are those who have met the challenge
with effective fencing.
Isn’t the wildness part of what draws people here? I have seen this type of
change happen where I grew up. Widening of the dirt road, mowing down
blackberry bushes, a house every hundred feet where my house was one of the
very few. Trees cut down. It seems people are drawn to wildness, and then
almost we cannot help but to re-create what it is we left!
This is Cliff Island. We love it here. It is not Cape Elizabeth, not New Jersey,
not any other place. Which is more important? To cherish and preserve this
native wildness or create a deer-free environment where certain plants, non-
native, can be grown? Who can deny the thrill of seeing a big buck leap from the
swamp, a spotted fawn, a doe on the edge of the road?
Why not allow Cliff Island to be as wild as it can be? Live with the frustration
of being unable to plant certain shrubs and flowers. Grow masses of daffodils.
Create effective fencing for vegetable growing. Share the space with the deer.
I realize the majority rules … a decision will likely one day be made. If you are
one who insists the deer must go, ask yourself why. Do we as humans, have the
right to kill the deer? As to fear that they will overpopulate and starve, they
haven’t yet, and nature has her own rules for survival of the fittest. Vast
populations of people starve in the world. Do we go in and shoot them so we
don’t have to witness their suffering?
If a vote is made to indeed kill the deer, here is a fair way. Let each person
who chooses to kill the deer take full responsibility. One vote. One deer. No
substitutions, such as a husband killing one for his wife’s vote. Let each person
who chooses to kill a deer choose his or her own weapon. One on one. A knife, a
bow, a gun, or hand to hand combat. Let it be conscious. Honor the spirit of the
animal. Take care of the dead body. Eat the meat or give it away. Yes, it is
convenient to have a sharpshooter come in. Everybody go hide in the house.
Pretend it is not happening. Would you want your child to watch? I doubt it. But
this would be the truth. No different than using nuclear power and then trucking
the waste away so we can pretend it isn’t dangerous.
We are not talking about chickens or cattle raised for food. We are talking
about the embodiment of freedom. We live “outside” society more than most out
here. This is a privilege. Think about it. Have you seen the movie “Powder”
lately?
Kat Farrin lives on Cliff Island. On the second Wednesday in July, Cliff Island
taxpayers will meet and vote “yes” or “no” vote by ballot on the need to do
anything about the island deer.