How many deer live in Port Townsend?

With no other goal than to come up with a number, a "deer count" has been set for a 30-minute window on the morning of Saturday, April 2.

"We just love the idea of counting the deer," said Loran Scruggs of Port Townsend, who is organizing the deer count along with Sue Long and Tim Lawson.

The deer count is to take place east of Sheridan Street – basically from Sheridan toward the city waterfront. Using a map of Port Townsend, Scruggs, Long and Lawson divided the area into 14 different zones of similar sizes. Volunteers, led by a team leader for each zone, are to walk or bicycle the streets, and, using a form provided, are to write down the location of deer (by address), as well as the time the deer are seen, the size (youth or adult), what the deer are doing (i.e. feeding, resting, walking) and the direction the deer are facing or appear to be going at that time.

It's an example of "citizen science," as the data is collected by amateur or nonprofessional scientists.

Volunteers are asked to attend an organizational meeting at 7 p.m., March 30 at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center's Natural History Exhibit at Fort Worden. All are welcome, including those who do not live in Port Townsend.

"We'd love to include people from the county," Scruggs said, "and to include the county eventually" in future deer counts.

The count itself takes place from 7 to 7:30 a.m., April 2. Participants then turn in their results at the Port Townsend Community Center in Uptown from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. That evening at 5 p.m. is a potluck meet-up, giving everyone a chance to talk about how it went and also to announce the winner of the contest to guess how many deer are going to be counted. The winner gets a "Port Townsend Deer 2016" T-shirt designed by Jolene Sunding. T-shirts are also available for sale at the organizational meeting on March 30.

"Sure, we'll probably miss some that are hanging out in backyards," Scruggs said.

People who are unable to walk for the required 30-minute counting period on April 2 are welcome to count deer visible from home. Stay-at-home counters may email information about location, time, and number of deer to

ptdeer@yahoo.com.

That email address, Scruggs said, "is only for counting the deer," not for sharing opinions about the deer, or what should be done about them. That issue, what should be done with so many deer, is not being addressed.

A few years ago, a deer count in Ashland, Oregon, "really polarized the community," Scruggs said. "That's why we're really focused on just counting the deer, not what to do with them."

This deer count is only that – a count, to see how many there are, not to decide what to do about them.

"I think of the deer as kind of a mascot for Port Townsend," Scruggs said. "We want to know how many there are. We want to understand their behavior and their relationship with humans, to recognize their family groups."