Let’s Take Action For Our Key Deer!!!

As part of our reactive activities to the Irma Hurricane disaster, Save Our Key Deer is launching a “POST-IRMA DEER DISTRIBUTION SURVEY” (PIDDS):

The purpose of this project is to determine as quickly as possible the spatial distribution of Key Deer that survived Irma, so that our attention and resources can be concentrated in places where our four-legged friends are still alive. Although the federal Refuges’ management will eventually conduct a new Key Deer population survey, it is important to much more quickly establish where the surviving animals are located and what is their condition. Just because a deer survived the actual wind and water onslaught does not mean he/she will survive in the long term: the salt water surge made many inland drinking water sources unusable, and much forage has been lost. Hence, this project is NOT a population survey – it is meant as the fastest way to determine where, spatially, the surviving deer are located.

Project methodology: We ask that Save Our Key Deer members and friends that are already in the Keys or when they get back, report Key Deer sightings using the PIDDS Report Form below. Each week, the data will be converted to a Geographical Information System (GIS) map, courtesy of Ocean Imaging Corp. (www.oceani.com) and made available to our members and federal and state agencies. This map located at the bottom of this page. We hope to work with those agencies to gain an accurate assessment of Irma’s impact on our Key Deer and assure not just their long-term survival but also their humanitarian well-being.

Results of Post-Irma Deer Distribution Survey for the week of September 25th, 2017

To access the legend and display different sighting days, click on or touch this icon:
To view a full-screen, larger map click on or touch this icon:

Results of Post-Irma Deer Distribution Survey for the Week of September 10, 2017
Results of Post-Irma Deer Distribution Survey for the Week of September 18, 2017