On Monday, Okotoks town council approved a temporary fencing pilot project in order to deter deer from entering and damaging local gardens.

The decision came following feedback from the Okotoks Garden Club and the Urban Deer Task Force.

You'll now be allowed to extend your fencing to a maximum height of 7.5 feet in front, side, and back yards, as well as install mesh coverings over gardens.

Materials like rounded metal garden edges and natural string products are among the approved materials.

Any fences erected to deter deer must be easily removable, safe for deer and members of the public, and not encroach on surrounding property.

The project went into effect the same day and will continue through to April 12th, 2022.

Chris Mills of the Urban Deer Task Force presented a report to council, outlining recommendations for how best to approach the issue.

He says it's a good step toward preserving local gardens.

"Okotoks is a wonderful place to live and it's now bee-friendly, but it is not garden-friendly. We do not have, in town, the sort of garden beauty that would win us any awards. We're a bit of a garden desert."

The report stressed positive outcomes for both deer and local gardeners.

"We wish to emphasize to Council that in the view of the Task Force, addressing the issue of allowing effective deer-proof fencing is one of the single most important elements of any management regime dealing with the deer in Okotoks."

The ability to do so would, according to the task force, protect local gardens while reducing the artificial supply of food to urban deer.

They cited positive results from the Town of Kimberly in the latter regard.

Mills provided a few examples of makeshift deer barriers that had been observed in town, including a line of Canadian flags and a row of women's underwear placed along fences.

To that point, he recommended flexibility in the pilot project in order to allow a number of means to deter deer.

The task force will propose long-term solutions at a later date.

 

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