Deer Park Innovator to Brief Solon Officials on Potential Deer Solution

Deer management is one of the most contentious issues in Northeast Ohio, often dividing communities between those who believe the deer must be hunted and those who want a more humane way to handle the herd.

Chuck Naegle believes he has a solution that can make everyone happy, and he's bringing his idea to Solon. Naegle, president and CEO of Urban Deer Solutions, will address the Solon safety committee during its 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting.

Naegle's solution is to build deer parks packed with highly nutritious plants that attract the deer. The parks are about 200 feet by 100 feet and built in secluded areas. Naegle plants his proprietary seed blend, which is loaded the protein and provides the deer with a food supply they crave all year long.

The point, Naegle said, is that the deer parks attract the herd and they essentially stay there, eat and hang out. Neagle said deer generally travel in the morning and the evening in search of food. The deer parks eliminate the need for that movement.

Each deer park will also include a buffer of wild flowers, and Naegle said he will put a honey bee hive in each to pollinate the plants. While the park will be off limits to humans, he said one day every month they will open for a community day during which residents can plant deer-friendly plants, erect bat houses and learn about the parks.

"It's always been about hunting or culling and it's never been about anything else," Naegle said. "This is about somebody doing something for the deer rather than the ultimate solution, which is to slaughter them."

Naegle said he has already spoken several times with Solon Public Works Commission Jim Stanek about the idea. When he briefs the safety committee on Wednesday, he will offer to assess Solon for good locations for deer parks that give the deer secluded areas and pull them away from areas with high deer-car accident rates.

Naegle said he has deer parks already up in Broadview Heights and Hinckley Township, where is company is based, and elsewhere in Ohio. He said he is currently working with Broadview Heights to develop a program, but no contract has been signed yet.

Naegle said he believes deer parks are the best option right now to manage urban deer issues and give pro-hunting and anti-hunting proponents something they can both agree on.

"We hear all the time that Solon is in the forefront of the urban deer issue," Naegle said. "This is a multi-facted approach to the deer problem."

Check back on Solon Patch later this week for coverage of Naegle's presentation.