Fire Island National Seashore donated 4400 pounds of venison to Island Harvest Food Bank, a Long Island-based hunger relief organization that provides supplemental food support through a network of 450 food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding programs across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
"For the fourth year in a row, we are proud to be donating to Island Harvest Food Bank. The seashore is grateful local communities can benefit from our deer management program,” said Lindsey Kurnath, Acting Superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore.
The donation follows the safe and successful removal of 113 deer from Fire Island National Seashore properties; 50 deer were removed from National Park Service lands at the William Floyd Estate and 63 deer from Fire Island National Seashore. Deer management operations have been completed for the 2022 season.
The venison was harvested as part of an integrated deer management strategy approved in 2016. The goal of deer management is to protect and restore natural habitats and historic landscapes at Fire Island National Seashore. Biologists will continue to monitor habitat and ecosystem recovery in response to a reduced deer population, which will help inform future deer management practices.
