Fences for sewer work driving Key deer into the road, will be modified

Key deer are about the size of a large dog.

ANDY NEWMAN

Of the National Key Deer Refuge's 84,351 acres in the Lower Keys, by far the most dangerous place for its namesake species to be is on or near U.S. 1.

The docile, endangered Key deer has become almost domesticated over the years due to some residents and tourists -- against state and federal law --- hand-feeding the deer. It leads to them approaching cars on the highway and many times being struck and killed.

It was alarming, then, for refuge staff to learn this week that Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority "silt fences" related to Monroe County's ongoing Big Pine Key sewer construction were unintentionally steering deer out to the highway from Long Beach Road.

Silt fences are made from black, usually woven, synthetic material meant to keep sediment out of the areas the Aqueduct Authority is digging up to install the Cudjoe Regional wastewater system in the Lower Keys. The fence stands roughly 2 feet tall.

"The deer got a little spooked by it and they get into the middle of the road and couldnt figure out how to get out. They were funneling out and cars were coming down the road," refuge Manager Nancy Finley said.

"Deer were in the road and animals were at risk of being hit. There was a report of one being hit. There was a blood trail on the road, but we did not find the animal," she said.

Finley said she met immediately with Aqueduct Authority staff and came to a compromise to have 50-foot openings for every 100 feet of silt fencing. The openings would be covered with a "waddle," which stands just a few inches high.

"They're like a sock filled with absorbent material, almost like a boom from an oil spill. Most animals can either crawl or walk over it; it's only four inches high," Finley said.

Go here to read the rest:
Fences for sewer work driving Key deer into the road, will be modified