Forest Service Proposes Permanent Wildlife Feeding Ban on Allegheny National Forest

The United States Forest Service (USFS) recently announced a proposal to indefinitely restrict wildlife feeding on the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in northwestern Pennsylvania. If approved, the restriction would be in place for one year and only apply to activities on National Forest System lands. The purpose of the proposal is to help slow or stop the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer.

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For more information, view the project website. Public comments are welcomed and encouraged. Comments must be submitted by August 12, 2022, and may be submitted to comments-eastern-allegheny@usda.gov. To submit comments by telephone or mail, please contact Ecosystem Staff Officer Andrea Hille at 814-728-6179 or 4 Farm Colony Drive, Warren, PA 16365.

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The order would prohibit feeding wildlife or laying or placing any food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt, or other minerals. Exceptions would be made for:

• Persons placing a bird feeder in a developed campground unless such bird feeder has been identified as being visited by other wildlife species.
• Persons or groups with a permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.
• Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

The National Deer Association (NDA) supported the temporary restriction after the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) announced in 2021 that a deer from a Warren County hunting preserve tested positive for the disease. We now support the indefinite restriction. The NDA defines supplemental feeding as the act of placing quality food resources for the purpose of increasing dietary quality. Often times, supplemental feeding differs significantly from wildlife feeding, which is simply utilized for wildlife viewing opportunities.  The practice of supplemental feeding and its role in deer management have grown in terms of controversy and complexity in recent years.  The NDA acknowledges the available scientific data surrounding this issue is incomplete and, at times, inconsistent.

However, a major disadvantage of both wildlife and supplemental feeding is the risk of spreading disease. Wildlife feeding increases density around a single food source and therefore increases the potential for direct and indirect contact among individuals. Currently there are 12 deer diseases that are thought to be spread by direct contact, two of which are bovine tuberculosis (TB) and CWD. Other concerns include habitat impacts, migration disturbance and artificial increase in carrying capacity. Ultimately, the NDA supports providing adequate food and cover for deer through habitat management programs. The NDA does not support supplemental or wildlife feeding in known CWD and bovine TB areas or where this activity may disrupt natural migratory patterns of deer.