Calling the overpopulation of deer in Southold a worsening crisis, speakers at Saturday’s meeting of the Southold Peconic Civic Association sounded the alarm that measures must be taken immediately to dramatically reduce the numbers. At the meeting, Southold Town Board member Greg Doroski characterized the “deer and tick problem in town as a public health and environmental crisis. It’s the No. 1 issue facing our community.” He estimated the size of the white-tailed deer herd in Southold at between 5,000 and 7,000 – thousands more than the area can handle. The huge herd has destroyed the understory in woods, spread tick-borne diseases and destroyed homeowners’ gardens and farmers’ crops. He reinforced the point by saying that 369 deer killed by cars were taken to the town landfill up through last week. However, Dan Goodwin, Southold’s highway superintendent, said in an interview that the number through Sunday was 483. Read more about the ongoing crisis at the link in our bio. 📸: @taramsmith_ 📝: Steve Wick #southold #deer #longisland