Introducing Deer Humans,

02/08/22 • 4 min

Every summer, herds of wealthy vacationers flock to a group of seaside towns on the East End of Long Island, New York, collectively known as The Hamptons. Although it's known for its sprawling beaches, star-studded events, and exorbitantly high-priced real estate, The East End is also home to an ecological conflict that has been decades in the making. White-tailed deer are overpopulated in many parts of the country, and on the East End, the overabundance of these animals has become a major point of contention in the community. The East End's local deer population poses many threats to both human and non-human life-- deer cause lethal car collisions, play a major role in the spread of tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme Disease, and contribute to an increasingly alarming sense of ecological imbalance. Some members of the community want to eliminate deer completely, while others are dedicated to protecting them. What has ensued is a local conflict entangled with issues of animal rights, disease epidemics, and wildlife management, ultimately posing the question: who has the right to inhabit land? Deer Humans, tells the story of what happens when humans are forced to reckon with a changing environment caused by, well, us.

Deer Humans, premieres on Wednesday, February 23rd. Subsequent episodes will drop every Wednesday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deer Humans, premieres on Wednesday, February 23rd. Subsequent episodes will drop every Wednesday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Part 1: Land and Water

Episode Description

Growing up on the East End of Long Island, I’ve always been aware that there are issues surrounding our local white-tailed deer population. But until recently, I had no idea just how far back the origins of this problem go. In the first episode of Deer Humans, I dig into the history of property development in The Hamptons, and discover what the increasing construction of mega-mansions has to do with the explosion of our deer population. To get to the root of the issue, I speak with wildlife experts and an Indigenous activist who is all too familiar with the devastating impacts of overdevelopment on the environment. I begin to unravel the threads of a seemingly unique story that, at its core, explores the universal struggle that humans face in order to coexist with nature.

Show Notes

All music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions.

Sources referenced in this episode:

New York State Department of Transportation: Deer and Moose Avoidance

Insurance Information Institute: Facts + Statistics: Deer vehicle collisions

New York State Department of Conservation: Species Status Assessment for Wolf

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance):

Jane Gill, Marissa Estatio, Dr. H. Brian Underwood, Dell Cullum, Dr. Jim Bevilacqua, Chenae Bullock, Dr. David Hirth.

Special thanks:

Kaitlin Keleher, Kim-Trang Tran, Elizabeth Affuso, Ruti Talmor, Lauren Chattman, Jack Bishop, Laura Joyce Davis, Nate Davis, The Shelter in Place Alumni Writing Group, and my Fall 2021 Media Studies peer group.

Thank you to KSPC 88.7 FM for recording studio access.

Thank you to the Pomona College Summer Undergraduate Research Fund for helping to make this series possible.

To learn more about me and my work, visit evebishop.net.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.