The Norristown Farm Park's
1992 Master Plan was created by the
Montgomery County Planning Commission and reflects the joint efforts of
state, local and county lawmakers and community activists. The
master plan is expected to be updated in 2006 (note this is a change from
the previous target of 2005) by the commission as part of a
strategic planning effort the County has begun for its parks and historic
sites. The FPPA has reviewed the park’s existing master plan and intends
to submit its recommendations to the commission for their consideration.
The FPPA believes that the current plan served as
a good starting point and was successful in getting the park founded.
There are aspects of the plan, however, that the FPPA believes contradict
the park's goals and, if implemented, would significantly alter the park's
character.
The FPPA's vision of the Farm Park, keeps its 690
acres, in large part, as they are today. The FPPA supports many aspects
of the park’s existing master plan, such as the proposed development of
the dairy barn complex and picnic area, the relocation of the PAL ball
field to Sterigere Street, and the existence of the Farm Park Advisory
Committee to review and advise the park's administrators regarding
policies and operations.
The FPPA believes that there are two primary
aspects of the 1992 Master Plan that should be revised. These are
reducing the amount of active recreation areas in the interior of the park
and designing the roadways within the park to not interconnect. The park
was created with the stated goal of providing passive recreation such as
biking, fishing and walking in an agricultural setting. The park has that
character today and the FPPA believes that most visitors to the park would
like it to remain that way. Interconnecting the interior roadways
increases traffic speeds within the park and encourages through traffic
from motorists using the park as a short cut.
On June 6, 2005, the Montgomery County Parks
Department
announced that this fall it will conduct a two-day hunt this fall of Whitetail
deer in Norristown Farm Park in an effort to reduce the
herd.
The
Board of the FPPA is convinced that controlling the deer herd size is
essential for maintaining ecological balance and meeting the long-term
goals of the Norristown Farm Park.
On
April 22, 2005, the FPPA Board presented two suggestions to the
Norristown Farm Park Advisory Board
and offered to assist with these initiatives to help manage the impact of
the current rapid expansion of the deer herd at NFP if the Advisory Board
chooses to pursue these recommendations. The Executive Summary of
FPPA's presentation stated
that:
Ø
The FPPA
is proposing two initiatives to help manage the deer herd at NFP and its
impact
o
Use of the
Strieter-lite reflector system to reduce the rate of deer-car collisions
on perimeter roads
o
The use of
immunocontraception to directly manage herd size
Ø
Both of
these techniques have proven successful in many areas of the US but are
underutilized in Pennsylvania
Ø
NFP is
well positioned to take a leadership role in using effective, modern
techniques for managing deer populations in suburban settings in
Pennsylvania.
FPPA offered to provide maintenance for the
reflectors which is necessary for their effective functioning. The Farm
Park Advisory Committee was also informed that FPPA has been in touch with
five foundations willing to fund immunocontraception at the Norristown
Farm Park.
For more information on this topic, especially the
details of the Strieter-lite reflector system and the immunocontraception,
see the Spring Newsletter.
