DEER HAVEN PARK in NEW YORK’S WHITE DEER REFUGE in NATURE PLACE JOURNAL, November 2023

DEER HAVEN PARK: N.Y. White Deer Refuge by Carolyn Johnson

Thanks to the curiosity of nine-year-old Earl Martin thirty years ago, as he searched for what he thought of as “mysterious ghostly” creatures at an old army depot near his home, a unique, real adventure can be experienced today.

Now, in the heart of New York State between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, a 7,000-acre refuge, Deer Haven Park, flourishes with a rare deer variant: solid white White-tailed deer.

These deer, not albino, are a natural variation of the White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). A recessive gene causing lack of pigmentation prevents the usual coloration of their hair, so these deer are white.

As Martin grew up, he was determined, encouraged by his grandfather, to buy the land. Martin now owns Deer Haven Park in partnership with Seneca Deer Inc. and its president Dennis Money. It has become a center of eco-tourism in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. It officially opened to the public in November 2018.

For about seventy years, white deer have been thriving, with management’s help, on the grounds of this former army depot in Seneca, New York. Interbreeding between the white and White-tailed brown deer also helps the species to flourish.

In the 1940s, a buck and a fawn got caught inside the twenty-four miles of fence surrounding the then-active Seneca Army Depot. After that sighting, the Army protected these deer. Curious onlookers visited as they tried to catch glimpses of the gradually growing number of 200 whites in a mixed herd of 800 deer making the area their home.

As knowledge grew about the beneficial interaction between wildlife and habitat, the land, at first agricultural, with woodlots, and stray fields, was adapted with conifers planted, wetlands developed, and fields being left to grow naturally into grasslands. With guidance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conversation, the place eventually came to be known as the birthplace of White-tailed deer management in North America.

Today, there are tour buses with guides who know the best locations, by season, for tourists to see, observe, and photograph the seemingly mystically appearing white deer in their natural habitats, providing a magical experience. Binoculars give a closer and more personal view.

Occasionally, glimpses of other wildlife happen, too, such as the recently spotted second sighting in seven years of the piebald (in just 2% of a whitetail herd) as Dee Calvansina revealed in March 2023 when researching for the “Beyond The Fence” newsletter now associated with Deer Haven Park. Also as stated for October 2023, a one-time special walk featured a beaver dam accessed via a grassy pathway. Along the way, too, hikers got to “admire other unique wildlife that chose to make an appearance.” In addition, preparations are underway for the “once-in-a-lifetime-event: observing the 2024 total solar eclipse deep within in the park.

Wandering about isn’t permitted, except to visit the John and Josephine Ingle Welcome Center or to the tour buses or to old eerie igloo-like Army storage bunkers housing relics of weapons stored on the grounds. Walking along flat terrain on guided hiking tours is encouraged, however, as are guided tours for mountain bikers in paved areas. Two- to four-hour tours are provided, with varying fees, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays in warm months and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during cold months.

“These white deer are a real treasure,” Martin said. “Making them accessible to the public is a dream come true.”