Boardman Township’s Involvement with ‘Save the Deer’

Postcards on Tax Payers Dime

Boardman Township’s decision to provide postcards advocating for local control over deer management has got our attention. We uncovered the township’s involvement through an email from the Boardman Township Trustees after we requested the post cards via FOIA.

The postcards, which align with the radical Save the Deer group’s messaging, have sparked questions about whether the township unintentionally supported an organization known for its aggressive opposition to Mill Creek Park’s legally sanctioned deer culling efforts—or if this was just a desperate attempt to get these “insane and uneducated deer saviors” off their backs.

Township’s Role in Postcard Distribution

The postcards, approved by the Board of Trustees, were created around December 11, 2024, and made available at the December 16 township meeting. Township Administrator Jason Loree handled their production during work hours, and Boardman Township covered the printing costs. While residents had to pay for postage, the use of public resources to create materials supporting a controversial activist cause has left some wondering whether the township crossed a line.

Boardman Trustee Brad Calhoun insists the postcards were not meant to advocate for Save the Deer’s agenda, but rather to push for local decision-making on deer management. However, considering the group’s history of confrontational behavior and its push against ODNR-backed deer culling efforts, the overlap is hard to ignore.

Or maybe, just maybe, Boardman Township printed the postcards to throw a bone to Save the Deer in hopes they’d finally stop showing up at meetings, yelling at officials, and making their lives miserable.

Save the Deer: Advocacy or Aggression?

The Save the Deer group has made quite the name for itself—though not in the best way. Its members have disrupted public meetings, sued Mill Creek Park ( and repeatedly lost appeal after appeal), shouted over officials, dismissed scientific evidence, and spread misleading claims about deer management. Some have even shown up at officials’ workplaces and homes, demanding action.

ODNR wildlife officers overseeing the deer culling program in Mill Creek Park have also faced harassment. Reports indicate that activists have attempted to interfere with legally sanctioned operations, followed officers in the field, and aggressively confronted MetroParks employees and park rangers. Some members of the group have even resorted to online harassment, targeting conservationists and officials who support deer population control.

“The level of hostility we’ve seen from this group is unacceptable,” said one local official, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns.

The Science Behind Deer Management

Deer population control in Ohio is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), which enforces policies to prevent overpopulation, car accidents, and ecological destruction. Without intervention, deer populations grow unchecked, leading to starvation, disease, and the devastation of native plant life.

ODNR experts have repeatedly emphasized that controlled deer culling is necessary to maintain a balanced ecosystem. However, Save the Deer continues to push back against these measures, insisting that no action should be taken—despite overwhelming evidence that inaction leads to more harm than good.

What’s Next?

Boardman Township insists it did not officially endorse Save the Deer, but its use of township resources for an effort so closely tied to an activist group accused of harassment has The MLO Bros asking questions.

The real question is: Did Boardman Township actually believe in this cause, or did they just do it to get Save the Deer to leave them alone?

Either way, Mill Creek Park’s deer population still needs to be managed, and science—not activism, intimidation, or a stack of taxpayer-funded postcards—should be leading the way.

~The MLO BROS