To the Editor:
This letter was also sent to Cape and Islands Sen. Julian Cyr.
As a full-time resident of Martha’s Vineyard and a native of this island, I urge you to support S.3064!
I write as a former law enforcement officer, volunteer firefighter, and also as one who has suffered the effects of tick-borne diseases.
It is well-known by those who are permanent Vineyard residents that there is not just a deer problem here, but what could accurately be called a deer infestation!
As a member of the West Tisbury Fire Department Rescue Squad, I have been at the scene of numerous car-versus-deer accidents, and was in such an accident myself, which involved $4,000 worth of damage to a vehicle that was, at the time, just 3 months old.
I know that game can safely be taken by archery even in thickly settled areas, and it is in these areas that deer are regularly seen at all hours of the day.
I am also convinced that this situation is directly related to matters of public health, since the spread of diseases carried by ticks is in turn related to a very large deer herd being a major vector.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Michael F. Fontes
West Tisbury