We hope Pennsylvanians show us through attendance that they're interested in this new approach to solicit public input. The open house format is intended to solicit comments from residents on a variety of deer management topics. It is essentially an interactive event with five stations staffed by a handful of employees, including regional representatives and Deer Management Outreach Committee members. Each station has a display focusing on issues and possible solutions to deer management problems. The Game Commission has historically held public hearings and meetings on deer management to collect public input.
Open houses are a different approach.
An open house visitor can breeze through the stations without saying a word, or engage in conversation with one of the hosts. Open houses will be held at each location over two days. Residents who are having their crops, trees or shrubs consumed by deer see them in a different light, preferring to have fewer. Middle ground has been tough to find in the deer management debate. And as the pendulum swings in favor of one extreme, the other complains to everyone from wildlife officials to the governor that its concerns are neglected.