Tonight! Rescheduled
Saddle River Mayor & Council Meeting
Monday, November 18, 2019 Thursday November 21, 2019
Time: 7pm
Location: Borough Hall
100 E. Allendale Road
Saddle River, NJ,07458
On November 5, 2019 a post on a Facebook group devoted to stopping the Saddle River deer slaughter shared a letter that has been sent by a resident of the town to council members:
Saddle River Council Members,
I would like to share the incident that occurred as I began this Election Day. This morning, I looked out of my windows to see a man in hunting attire walking through the property between my yard and my neighbor’s. I went outside and discovered that there were two police vehicles and several police officers traipsing through the properties.
I asked that they respect my NO TRESPASSING signs and not come onto my property. My neighbors were awakened when the police rang their doorbell. The officers asked permission to track a deer that the hunter had shot in town. We do not live in the deep woods but rather a very residential neighborhood. Our officers were apologetic as they explained that they hoped to find the wounded animal. Our police officers are spending valuable time escorting bow hunters as they track their prey through our neighborhoods. None of this is appropriate, sound, or acceptable in our residential borough.
Please know that the word is fast spreading among the fine residents of Saddle River. That word is that our Council has imposed this misrepresented, unsubstantiated and ineffective RECREATIONAL BOW HUNT on our town. This hunting program is not a “Wildlife Management Plan” or “cull”. That assertion is not a game of semantics, but fact.
This all began with the faulty referendum that was misleading, confusing, and operating under unsubstantiated reasoning. The unfounded hunt was approved despite the absence of the basic requirements of any responsible “Management Plan”. There was no current baseline data acquired, no scientifically substantiated reasons to cull, and no statistical goals established. The very construct of this hunt, along with the residential nature of our landscape deems it ineffective and incapable of accomplishing anything except allowing members of the UBNJ organization access to trophy animals in our backyards.
Our residents’ group is organizing and intending to put an immediate stop to this residential hunting. The status and impact of our wildlife should be revisited by a responsible, informed and mindful committee. Decisions need to be made considering the best interests of Saddle River residents and the integrity of our borough. Downfalls of this unprecedented hunt include wasted police efforts, incurred municipal expenses, insurance implications, legal fees, apprehension among residents, and damage to our town’s reputation and property values.
We residents hope that you will look at the facts and reconsider your position on this important issue.
SR Residents Against Backyard Bowhunting
Interesting.
If you haven’t been keeping up with the deer slaughter in Saddle River there are numerous posts here that you can refer to for information. However, basically town residents voted against a hunt, the mayor and council went against their votes and instituted a hunt in September 2018 allowing crossbow hunters to cull the deer population. And any unfortunate coyotes, foxes, and who knows what else. So the excited hunters got their thrills, while the residents now pay for police to accompany them. Good use of tax dollars?
Agitated residents, and visitors passing through town held their breath as the town never gave information as to where the hunters would be – including the children’s playground, and property bordering a nearby garden center that was holding hayrides and family evenings. They did give hunt times – basically daylight hours for months on end. People were put at risk. Residents who opposed the hunt placed no trespass signs on their property. A significant number of deer were slaughtered, their carcasses apparently disposed of as the meat is inedible. Throughout the entire season the mayor and council were faced with irate residents and anti-hunters, but the town kept quiet and the hunt continued.
Fortunately, during the first hunt season Saddle River dodged a bullet. It was sheer luck that no person was injured during this questionable activity. No injury, death, lawsuit.
In 2019 the hunt was reinstated and this time they got smart. They have restricted areas, and control what happens – a bit more.
But damage has been done. Other towns have been watching and are showing interest. Towns that do not have a 2 acre minimum lot….some just small suburban lots.
Here lies the problem. New Jersey is a state that loves hunting. If any animal is seen in the wrong place, becomes an inconvenience, is a threat, or really just gets crammed into an increasingly smaller and smaller parcel of land – and their numbers swell – the animals are labelled as over producing, a nuisance and a hunt is allowed. And those town people who feel the need of the great outdoors and the hunter gatherer experience go and slaughter whatever comes their way. Great if it is in a park or wilderness. But now, as animals become a problem in suburban areas they will be hunted in places where there really shouldn’t be hunting. Local playing fields, golf course, park? But once hunting is allowed how can you guarantee that it will stay in the park or golf course? Not creep into places where people live? Doesn’t everyone have a neighbor they wonder about? Do you want them with a cross bow? Or a gun? Under the cover of darkness?
Once the genie is out of the bottle it is too late.
Residents in the Saddle River valley, and Bergen county, should think carefully about the issue.
Activists have organized.
From Animal Protection League Of New Jersey:
Keep the Pressure on Saddle River
Tell them to end the deer hunt aka slaughter. Residents want a non lethal humane deer conflict and impact management plan. It’s time for the town to re-submit their non lethal deer plan to the state. Enough is enough.From day one, Saddle River Councilman Paul Schulstad has been pushing for a deer hunt. Meanwhile he’s done nothing in four years to implement effective, science based non lethal deer conflict and impact management practices. Contact him and the rest of the Saddle River Governing Body. Tell them the hunt is failing Saddle River residents. Tell them enough is enough of their cruel and ineffective deer bow hunt.
Let the Deer Live in Saddle River!
Please call and email them today and every day!
Let’s put compassion first. Tell them to cancel the contract with the outsider group United Bowhunters of NJ. Fact -there have been wounded and suffering deer in town since the hunt started last year. Some were never recovered. This is despicable and a disgrace! Deer are fellow sentient beings.201-327-3609
Councilman Paul Schulstad
pschulstad@saddleriver.orgMayor Al Kurpis
drkurpus@saddleriver.orgAdministrator Jerry Giaimis
jGiaimis@saddleriver.orgCouncil President Eric Jensen
ejensen@saddleriver.orgCouncilwoman Alexandra Samouilidis
asamouilidis@saddleriver.orgCouncilman John DeRosa
jderosa@saddleriver.orgCouncilman Rosario Ruffino
rruffino@saddleriver.org#NoDeerHunt ❤️🦌
Governor Phil Murphy – We need to implement a nonlethal deer conflict and impact management plan statewide.
I disagree – something has to be done to reduce the number of deer.. we voted to cull the deer population with bow hunting..
It is difficult issue and not everyone is in agreement. Thank you for your comment.
The problem here, as is the problem when any government action is undertaken, is that the decision is not up to people on their own. It is morally corrupt for any governing body to impose its own view on the governed.
Interesting point, particularly (as if recollection is correct) in the original vote the residents didn’t vote for this. Also, there have been some questions about the numbers the state gave and how they sourced them. Thank you for your comment.