The fate of the famous white deer is now, quite literally, up for bid.
Next month, the Seneca County IDA is collecting bids for how to develop 7,000 acres of land between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. That land is fenced off, with quite an unusual history: it spent years as a controversial munitions storehouse for the military.
Living on that land are 200 white deer (not albino), and a group is trying to protect their future, while bidding to create a new ecotourism center. Their concern is that a developer will win the bid, take the fences down, and the white deer will become trophies for hunters. Our panelists explain their alternative plan:
- Dennis Money, president of Seneca White Deer Inc.
- Jim Howe, executive director, Central and Western Chapter of the Nature Conservancy
- John Ingle, owner, Heron Hill Winery
- Howie Jacobsen, marketing executive