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Landau's Thanked for Its Support Of Princeton High School Choir

WENDY JOLLEY
Steering Committee Chair
Princeton High School Choir

Immunocontraception Called For To Control Deer Overpopulation

CHARLES K. BOWMAN
East Windsor

Arts Council's Proximity to Schools And Library Commends Its Location

CONSTANCE KILLLIAN ESCHER
GUSTAV E. ESCHER III
Governors Lane

Landau's Thanked for Its Support Of Princeton High School Choir

To the Editor:

On Saturday, December 13, Landau's of Princeton hosted a special fund-raising event for the Princeton High School Choir. For every item sold at Landau's, one dollar was donated to the choir fund. Choir members sang outside the store throughout the day, adding to the festive feeling of the holiday season in our beautiful town.

The Princeton High School Choir would like to sincerely thank Robert and Henry Landau for their generosity and continuing support. This is the fourth year that they have helped the choir raise money. It was particularly important to do so this year, because the choir toured in Vienna and Budapest in November, and still needed to raise additional funds after its return.

Many thanks, also, to everyone who made a purchase at Landau's that day, or simply gave a donation after hearing one of the various groups of choir members sing. We are fortunate to live in a town which values the arts and music, and appreciates young voices raised in glorious song.

WENDY JOLLEY
Steering Committee Chair
Princeton High School Choir

Immunocontraception Called For To Control Deer Overpopulation

To the Editor:

Princeton officials think they will keep the deer population in check by allowing bow hunting from September to February in our suburban parks. This is in addition to the ongoing methods of killing deer in our suburban neighborhoods with high-powered rifle bullets and retractable metal bolts. In many instances, witnesses say that both these methods often require multiple shots to kill the animal, thus causing the animal to suffer.

Officials attempt to justify their cruelty with the familiar list of human-deer conflicts: deer-car collisions, damage to gardens, and a "study suggesting" a connection between the deer population and Lyme disease. Then they trot out once more the familiar one-size-fits-all remedy: keep on killing the deer.

According to the Division of Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey had 150,000 deer in 1996. Since then, hundreds of thousands of deer have been killed. Traffic accidents killed about 10,000 deer in 1996; the number is now about 20,000. Hunters killed 64,000 deer last year alone. Also, thousands of deer died in the state-devised Community Based Deer Management Program. Despite all the increased killing, the state's overall deer population has increased to 175,000.

Does anyone seriously believe that a few more weeks of hunting, or killing on a few more acres, will make a significant difference? Apparently only Princeton Township, whose scheme to extend bow hunting into its public parks–despite the obvious danger to joggers, dog walkers, etc.–was recently upheld in court.

We should be taking a more comprehensive look at the overall problem. In New Jersey, suburban sprawl's good food source and habitat increases the number of deer faster than the lethal programs and hunting can kill them off. Sprawl causes the rapid growth of the deer-car collision rate.

The result of all this killing is that the average doe in New Jersey is barely one year old, and this is the age at which does are most fertile. To use technical terms: in the areas occupied by suburban sprawl, the killing and reproduction are in an equilibrium at which the population density is just about as high as possible.

How do we find a way out of this insane cycle? Certainly a large element has to be immunocontraception, and it's long overdue to address the car/deer collision rate, not primarily as a deer problem but as a highway safety problem.

Until we start looking at the problem comprehensively, we will continue to see the deer-related problems escalate along with the deer population, rifles, bolt guns, and arrows in our backyards.

CHARLES K. BOWMAN
East Windsor

Arts Council's Proximity to Schools And Library Commends Its Location

To The Editor:

This letter is written to support the final approval on the renovated plans for the building which houses the umbrella of activities at the Arts Council of Princeton.

As a teacher and historian, I can heartily recommend the usefulness of many of the ongoing activities for children from kindergarten to high school. Under Age, an anthology of original poetry, painting and sculpture classes, and dance and writing seminars are all extremely engaging for students who can walk to the Arts Council building from Community Park Elementary and John Witherspoon Middle Schools.

It is especially timely to finalize the plans for this Michael Graves building, which will be open to the public to use and love. It is especially fitting that the Arts Council's new neighbor, the majestic Princeton Public Library be able to "hold hands" with its user-friendly building – and newly renovated building – just across the street.

We, as longtime Princeton residents, understand the validity of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and think that the Arts Council, under the able guidance of the talented town muse, Anne Reeves, be allowed to expand and grow, benefitting all of Princeton's citizens with its many fine classes.

The time is now for this needed renovation at its current location. In the words of Heraclitus, "Change, the only changeless."

CONSTANCE KILLLIAN ESCHER
GUSTAV E. ESCHER III
Governors Lane

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