PASCACK VALLEY—Deer populations in Hillsdale and Montvale remain well above the roughly 10 deer per square mile considered healthy for local ecosystems, according to recent winter drone surveys.
The surveys were conducted by a research team from Raritan Valley Community College’s Center for Environmental Studies.
At the March 17 meeting of the Hillsdale governing body, Administrator Mike Ghassali said a mid-January drone survey found 122 deer within a 3.24-square-mile study area, or about 38 deer per square mile.
A similar drone survey conducted Feb. 19 in Montvale counted 341 deer across a 4.4-square-mile area, or about 78 deer per square mile.
Although the two towns recorded different densities, both exceed what wildlife researchers describe as the biological carrying capacity needed to maintain healthy forest ecosystems.
In the Montvale report, Kellyn wrote that environmental impacts on forests and vegetation typically begin to appear when deer populations exceed that threshold.