ABSTRACT
Incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1951, the Nature Conservancy (TNC; hereafter referred to as the Conservancy) has a mission to “conserve critical lands and waters on which all of life depends.” The Conservancy has protected over 48 million ha of land and over 8000 km of waterways around the globe. Within the United States, the Conservancy manages 627,560 ha of forest and range lands within the range of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Science-based quantitative analyses performed by the Conservancy consistently identified the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as being one of the top threats to biodiversity across its multistate landscapes. State chapters, particularly in the mid-Atlantic (NY, MD, NJ, and PA), report that their greatest ecological challenge is managing deer populations at levels compatible with sustaining diverse forests and rangelands. The Conservancy's Pennsylvania chapter owns 5666 ha of forestlands and has a controlling interest through conservation easements and other agreements on an additional 32,275 ha.
