Vashon Maury Island Community Council
 
Public Safety Committee
 
October 6, 2006
 
In attendance:  Captain D.J. Nesel, King County Sheriff's Office
                           Jim Didricksen, Vashon Roads and Highways
                            Ray Mielbrecht and several others from the Sportsman's Club
                            A dozen plus residents altogether of the Island came.
 
The meeting convened at 10:00 a.m. in Courthouse Square
 
Jennie Hodgson opened the meeting by telling that a lot of people had called in response to the meeting announcement in the Beachcomber with a wide variety of comments and opinions.  Some had questions and were urged to email these to be asked at the meeting.  One person did that and those questions were addressed to start the proceedings.
Is it legal for hunters to come onto acreage property where NO HUNTING signs are posted all along the driveway?  The answer is "No."  Hunters may only hunt on public land or where they have specific permission from the owner to hunt and in that case, within the limits and regulations spelled out in the appropriate RCWs.  The recommendation was made that if you have someone in your yard with a gun, call 911 and if possible, get the license plate number. 
Is it legal too shoot after dark and as late as 11 p.m.?  Again, the answer is "No."
Hunting is allowed from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.  
Is it legal to kill a doe and leave the faun? Yes.  Vashon comes under regulations that allow any deer to be taken.  
Some information about deer on the Island:
    They like cleared areas so the more dwellings that are built, the more the deer will
        be around where we live.
    They are not spread evenly over the Island. The areas with the most deer appear
        to be the Dockton area of Maury Island, the Spring Beach area of the lower 
        Island and the Burma Road area of the Westside.  
    Some of the deer have a disease that renders them emaciated with albino
        appearing areas on their skin.  These deer are not starving, they're sick.
    There are means of applying deer birth control either in shots or pellets in food
        which are experimental and/or expensive and of uncertain effectiveness.
Any public land is open to hunting (not parks.) On the Island there are only two areas that are public lands where hunting is allowed.  One is an area in the center of Vashon Island between Cemetery and Bank Roads.  The other is in the Dockton to Glacier property area of Maury Island.  The Maury Island land is used extensively by walkers and others recreationally.  It would be helpful to have the Department of Natural Resources land and Dockton Park land easily identified by signs.
The Sportsman's Club has made bright orange vests available at The Tru Value Service Center and at Island Lumber to anyone who wants to walk or ride horse back in the woods.
We discussed the problem of deer and cars at some length.  Jim Didricksen reports that he averages 3 or 4 dead deer on the road per month.  He feels that sooner or later there is bound to be a tragic road accident.  Dawn and dusk are special problem times that coincide with the commute.  Speed is a definite component.  [ Let it be noted here that Doug Mish, who was unable to attend the meeting due to a doctor's appointment, came as the meeting was breaking up and wanted very much to let everyone know that he was in a bad accident with a deer while driving his motorcycle last year and was laid up in the hospital for four
months.  He does not think anyone should ride a motorcycle after dark.]
Another matter of concern was the off Island hunter who doesn't know the Island and may not know much about the hunting regulations.  Jim Didricksen who travels the Island roads constantly estimates that he sees 3 or 4 off Island hunters for every one of ours.  These hunters are under the impression that they are in the country and pose a danger accordingly.  Various suggestions were put forward,including signs on the ferries and docks and making pertinent information available.  
Ray Meilbrecht said that NO HUNTING signs along a fence or beside your driveway will be effective.  Responsible hunters will pass on by.   Mentioned was that most Sportsmen's Club hunters will not hunt on the Island as it is not real hunting.
However people can contact the Sportsman's Club if they have trouble deer on their property and want someone to come hunt.
Jennie will contact Rick Frye to see if the committee could help distribute information flyers.
We moved on from deer problems at the end of the meeting to a brief discussion of problems bicyclers encounter on the road, in particular the narrow shoulder on Tramp Harbor Road.  We agreed to devote our December meeting to bicycles.
 
Our November meeting will be addressing three particular traffic problem areas that we will go view in person after meeting at the Courthouse at 10:00 Friday the 3rd.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Jennie Hodgson