George Ackerman is currently a master’s student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability focusing on environmental justice and urban deer management. Prior to his work in Michigan, George worked as a Park Ranger for the City of Pittsburgh after graduating from Allegheny College. His past work includes assisting with plans to implement a deer hunting program in Schenley Park, supporting work on Meadville, Pennsylvania’s Climate Action Plan, and completion of a service year program working with New Sun Rising and the Triboro Ecodistrict in Millvale, Pennsylvania. After graduation, he plans to continue to contribute to addressing local environmental and climate issues in Pennsylvania.

TSN Conference 2026

January 22nd, 2026 (Thursday) // 1:45 pm – 2:10 pm // Room 105 // The Deer Dilemma: Methods of Managing Urban Deer in Southeast Michigan // Managing the impacts of overabundant urban deer populations has become a priority for many municipal governments and land management organizations in Southeast Michigan. This project served to advance current and future urban deer management by producing a standardized guide for new programs and providing technical support for the implementation of the first regional deer management program in Farmington Hills, Farmington, and Southfield. Three pillars of urban deer management were used as a framework for the project: ecological, social, and program development. Project elements included conducting interviews with city employees and land managers, providing recommendations for ecological monitoring programs, and developing a variety of materials to support deer management programs in Southeast Michigan. Moving forward, we offer recommendations for municipalities interested in implementing urban deer management programs.