There were a few laughs in the report on wildlife management Jay Roberts presented at the 2019 Wintergreen Property Owners Association meeting in November. But the executive director of WPOA had some serious advice for the resort community's residents because some of the trends are moving in the wrong direction.
Deer
The high deer population at Wintergreen is not as bad as it has been at times, but it is still well above the maximum number per square mile, according to the survey work done for WPOA by the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen using standards set by the Virginia Department Wildlife Resources, Roberts said.
The deer population is trending higher overall, and it's higher especially on the mountain in the Blackrock area, "so we have some work to do there," Roberts said.
Too many deer not only bring on ornamental plant damage and vehicle collisions, but there is also what wildlife professionals call "negative ecosystem impacts."
For example, when the deer population is high, it's likely that they are going to attract coyotes. And too many deer can bring more problems with more tick-borne diseases.
"We haven't had a problem with coyotes yet, but we know they are here, and we're keeping a close eye on it. If you encounter a coyote, report it to the police,” said Roberts.
Deer are also, of course, a traffic hazard and having too many deer can wreak havoc on property owners’ landscaping efforts.
Bears
WPOA put up new Bear Smart signage this year, but that's about all that is new about bears at Wintergreen. Bears continue to be an ongoing educational challenge for WPOA and it’s more than just explaining when to take your bird feeders in.
Some property owners want to leave their windows open and doors unlocked. Crime might be rare at Wintergreen, but bears are not.
Roberts laid out the facts plainly, saying, "If you leave food cooking in the stove or in the Crockpot, and the window or door is open, a bear is going come in," he said, adding, "Especially the teenage bears–they are naughty, adventuresome bears.
"This year we had a case where some property owners had a bear in their house. They liked to leave their doors open where the cat and dog could come and go.
"What happened is a bear made friends with their cat and dog. They became teammates. The bear got into the kitchen and ate all of the food," Roberts said as the audience laughed, adding, "I'm not making this up."
Learn more about Bear Smart at Wintergreen HERE.
Through the 1980s, Virginia worked to increase deer populations. Today some areas, such as Wintergreen, suffer from too high a population. To address that, WPOA works with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Damage Control Assistance. Read how the state’s program works.
"This huge bear got fat from eating out of this dumpster," Jay Roberts told property owners at the 2019 annual meeting. "Notice that the brass latch on the chain to keep bears from opening the dumpster door isn't in place. He's not fat from eating nuts and berries. We have got to get control of this."
If a bear is threatening, persistent, or aggressive call Wintergreen police at 434-325-8520. For emergencies call 911.
Some people say they have “encountered” a mountain lion (also known as cougar, puma, panther) at Wintergreen. All of the evidence, however, says they are mistaken. Wintergreen does have bobcats, however. Read more.
Read the March 2019 report on coyotes by Matt Knox, Deer Project Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Stoney Creek deer number were down in 2019, "because last year WPOA was effective in managing the population,” Roberts noted. Read more about deer population in Virginia here.