The importance of Dublin’s Outdoor Feed Ordinance

Keeping Wildlife Wild

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Picture mischievous squirrels hunting for snacks and graceful deer adding a touch of wonder to Dublin’s cityscape. While nature is an integral part of our community’s identity and charm, it’s important to remember that wildlife is best admired from a distance and not as dinner guests.

While it might be tempting to scatter scraps for squirrels or saltlicks for deer, what seems like a harmless act of kindness can quickly cause problems. Wildlife has the tools to survive on its own, so supplying food could lead to not only harming the animals but putting humans in danger, too.

Due to a quickly growing deer population and concerns from Dublin residents about wildlife traveling into residential areas, Dublin City Council adopted an outdoor feed ordinance in November 2023.

The ordinance prohibits feeding any wild animals or animals running at large on private property. City of Dublin Management Analyst Emily Goliver, who worked closely on researching those wildlife issues to support the ordinance, says it came about through a purposeful process that balanced the City’s love for its native creatures while protecting local critters.

“We love wildlife in Dublin,” Goliver says. “This is an emotional topic, but it’s what’s best for the animal.” 

The growing population of deer is not unique to Dublin. This topic is being discussed statewide, and Dublin is engaging in regional conversations on management options.

“In the past couple of years, we have received a higher number of concerns regarding deer in residential areas,” Goliver says. “So, we looked into the industry standard for deer population in a suburban setting and found that Dublin was exceeding that standard.”

The outdoor feed ordinance also seeks to protect residents, as the number one reason for wildlife to bite humans is people feeding that wildlife.

“It’s important for the residents and the deer,” Goliver says. “Deer should be relying on the natural resources available to them, not food that humans are leaving for them. When you have food left in your yard, you are encouraging the deer to come onto your property into residential areas.”

As the increase in white-tailed deer was a key reason for the rule change, the no-feed ordinance also supports the variety of wildlife within the City’s limits. Residents should not feed squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, waterfowl, opossums, muskrats, foxes, black bears, wild turkeys, bobcats or coyotes. 

The frequent feeding of wildlife can lead to many negative consequences: 

  • A higher concentration of wildlife in residential areas 
  • Animals become comfortable in an area and frequently return, knowing food is easily accessible
  • Animals become desensitized to humans when they are close to them, leading to aggression toward people and pets
  • Interference with animals’ natural processes  
  • Spread of disease
  • Increase of vehicle-deer crashes  

As part of its research phase for the ordinance, the City of Dublin collaborated with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to create a solution to reduce wildlife in residential areas. Dublin’s own Nature Coordinator Barbara Ray hosted workshops alongside ODNR, and the City collaborated with The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources students to complete a study centered on Dublin’s deer population.

A group of students from an OSU capstone class completed a weeklong study in May 2023 consisting of different types of assessments, such as “camera trapping” surveys. The class placed food in front of cameras to lure deer to count the herd. Students also gathered information about wildlife habits through a survey that received about 300 responses from Dublin residents.

So far, Goliver reflects, the ordinance has seen improvement for residents.

“It has been successful as far as a tool for education. We are encouraging neighbors to talk to each other and inform them about the harmful impacts of feeding wildlife,” Goliver says. “We have also had very positive conversations with residents who have expressed appreciation that we are working with them and helping them understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ with an emphasis on care for the animals.”

Q&A with Nature Education Coordinator Barbara Ray

Q: Why is the ordinance so important?

A: A successful method for most wildlife control is to not feed them. Wildlife is perfectly designed to find the proper types of foods for optimal nutrition and the highest survival potential. Feeding some wild animals invariably draws in others, and those could be animals a resident may not want, like skunks and coyotes. Any outdoor food will attract mice and rats. Rodents have an amazing sense of smell and will come in at night to raid a feeding station or clean up spilled seed or seed hulls – anything!

Why can feeding wildlife be dangerous?

A: When deer become comfortable being close to humans and pets, they can behave defensively when rearing their fawns. They may use their hooves to strike to drive away a threat like a dog, instead of moving away when they see or hear a person interacting with a dog. People like to “help” deer by putting out corn, but this is bad for the deer, too. Their ruminant stomachs cannot digest the sugars and starches in grains properly, as deer are instead designed to digest leaves, bark and other plant material.

Q: What is some common animal activity we can look forward to this summer?

A: Dublin residents usually enjoy many wildlife viewing opportunities in their yards and parks without a need to offer food. Deer will have fawns up and running and playing by June 1. Osprey chicks will fly out later in June and be visible hunting the Scioto River, and their favorite parks are Amberleigh and Kiwanis. Red fox kits will be out of the dens in July as will skunk kits. Baby turtles will hatch in late summer from the nests their moms secretly dug in mulch beds, often far from water, and they will begin their trek to a pond or stream in the city. (If you see a baby turtle stuck along a curb unable to climb it, you can help it up over the curb!)

Songbirds nest all through summer with goldfinches being our last nesters in August, as native thistle and sunflower seeds start to be available. Many butterflies, moths and other insects, and frogs and toads, all are active in periods through the summer and might be seen or heard.

Jackie Adler is an intern for the City of Dublin. Feedback welcome at cpi@dublin.oh.us.

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