Tristan Compton is a master’s degree student studying Ecosystem Science and Management and Geospatial Data Science in the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan. With his interest in land conservation and ecology, he chose the themed capstone project of Urban Deer Management in Southeastern Michigan to help further protect urban and wildlife interaction, while also maintaining ecological stability. Tristan had previously attended Lake Superior State University, where he achieved his B.S. in Conservation Biology and an A.S. in Natural Resources Technology. At Lake Superior State University, he worked on studying microplastics presence and density in relation to land use and storms in a Michigan river network. His future agenda is to join a Non-Government Organization and implement his studies into real-life situations.

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.