POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – Mill Creek MetroParks will be culling its deer population starting this fall. Park representatives say there are just too many deer in the park and they’re harming the ecosystem. So, we wanted to know if other parks in the area are having a similar problem.

“Our daylilies and our hosta lilies, the deer just love them. It’s like candy to the deer,” said Ken Filicky, who manages Poland Township Park.

According to Filicky, the park does see an impact from deer, especially the native flowers.

“The deer come through and, just like a lawnmower, cut them down and they’re gone,” he said.

Filicky says the park’s rural location makes it so deer have plenty of places to eat outside the park.

“Our park is 115 acres, but we’re surrounded by a 2,200-acre public service landfill. There’s a lot of fields, wetlands and forested areas there where the deer can go and find shelter,” Filicky said.

Filicky says the park has seen some negative impact from deer but not as much damage to the understory as Mill Creek MetroParks.

“They’re not forced to stay in our parks, like in Mill Creek Park,” Filicky said. “When you get down into like Newport, like Glacier Lake, Cohasset, they’re pretty well stuck right there in that little area there.”

Poland Township Park does not have a culling program, nor are they planning to start one.