Since 2011, the JIA has led a collaborative effort to monitor and evaluate the status of the white-tailed deer population on Jekyll Island. Annual population estimates have consistently indicated a population over 80 deer per square mile. Deer are a valuable part of Jekyll Island’s diverse native wildlife community. As a highly abundant species, they have the potential to impact the success of other native plant and animal species on the island. For this reason, we continue to monitor the population closely on an annual basis and are collaborating with the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources to conduct a multi-year study evaluating deer impacts on Jekyll Island’s unique plant communities along with other stressors at play in our natural environments such as modern changes in hydrology and fire frequency on the island.
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