| ROMULUS, N.Y. — When Earl Martin purchased a portion of the former Seneca Army Depot in 2016, he committed to protecting and preserving the white (leucistic) white-tailed deer and other wildlife and habitat in the former Depot, focused primarily on the areas zoned for conservation north of route 135 (approximately 3000 acres). Mr. Martin created an LLC to manage and oversee the conservation activity called Deer Haven Park, which continues to manage and provide for the wildlife within the conservation area today. When the property was purchased by Martin, Seneca White Deer, Inc./Dennis Money believed they had the capacity to run a successful tourism operation that would provide tourists an opportunity to see the white deer from inside the former Depot. In order to help Money fulfil his dream of bringing the public to the white deer, Deer Haven Park and Seneca White Deer, Inc. entered into a mutual agreement based on Dennis Money’s tourism business plan. Martin constructed a new Visitor Center at Deer Haven Park which was rented by Seneca White Deer, Inc, and leased access to the acreage zoned for conservation to the tourism group. Earl Martin enlisted the expertise of trained specialists from Cornell University, as well as other collaborators, and developed an extensive habitat improvement, security, and population management plan for the area within Deer Haven Park. These activities have always been wholly independent of the tourism operation that Dennis Money led. Earl Martin wishes Dennis Money and his supporters well, and thanks them for their dedication to bringing awareness to the Magnificent White Deer in Seneca County over the past 20 years and for providing a spotlight on the habitat and wildlife being preserved by Martin and his team. The investments made by Earl Martin through Deer Haven Park will continue to provide protection, suitable (and constantly improving) habitat, and appropriate population management. Earl and his team are in regular contact with the New York State Department of Conservation to manage the herd, including testing for CWD.It has been Martin’s vision from the very beginning to help preserve the white deer and wildlife within the former military base while making this miraculous habitat available and visible to the public. Martin states that he is in the process of evaluating the tourism operations of Dennis Money and Seneca White Deer, Inc. in order to determine Best Management Practices and lessons learned from the recent tour attempt. “It won’t be the last chance to see them… We are very optimistic that there will be tours again soon…” In response to Mr. Money’s recent statement to the press regarding the end of the current White Deer Tours and this being the “last chance to see the deer”, Earl Martin said “It won’t be the last chance to see them. It’s just the last chance for Seneca White Deer, Inc. to show them. We are very optimistic that there will be tours again soon, run by a different organization. We hope that Dennis Money and Seneca White Deer, Inc. will collaborate with us in making sure that interpretive materials, website transfer, and other administrative items are made available so that we can continue to provide an opportunity for the public to interact with these magnificent white deer.” |
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