Maryland, like nearly every state in the continental U.S., is faced with an almost impossible task when it comes to white-tailed deer management. Wildlife managers are being asked to control deer populations in areas where hunting has been curtailed and in some instances, completely eliminated.

Until recently, most state parks were off-limits to all forms of hunting. Decades of non-wildlife management in these parks eventually resulted in serious destruction of forest understory plants, leading to severe erosion of forest topsoil. The repercussions of this became evident when small streams that once flowed clear and cold were transformed into shallow, silted ditches that no longer support viable aquatic insect community and diverse fisheries.

To validate that this was, in fact, occurring, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife managers established deer-exclusion areas in several state parks. Essentially, these exclusion areas were nothing more than fenced-off locations that deer could not access.

Within the confines of the exclusion area, forest understory plants thrived, while just a few feet away the landscape was barren. Everything edible to a height of 6 feet had been consumed by starving herds of whitetails. In some locations, plants once deemed inedible by deer had been consumed as well.

The Warren Bridge area of Loch Raven Reservoir, where hunting has not been permitted since the early 1940s, provides some insight to the havoc that can be wreaked by hungry herds of deer. To the non-hunting community, the view into the forest is beautiful. There is an unobstructed view for several hundred yards into the stands of loblolly pine and towering hardwoods.

For the casual observer, this park-like appearance may be something to behold. But to a forester or wildlife manager, it's a nightmare come true.

The consequences of this can be seen just a short distance away while driving over Warren Road Bridge and looking north at the massive sandbar that has developed in the reservoir's upper reaches. Just three decades ago, depths beneath the bridge ranged from 20 to 25 feet. Today, because of severe erosion and siltation, depths rarely exceed 10 feet. The sandbar has grown from just a small patch of silt to an island that measures nearly 300 yards long and 100 yards wide.

Granted, much of the siltation is the result of unabated development upstream. But a significant volume of silt continues to wash into the impoundment from the nearby watershed lands, laid bare by huge numbers of deer.

Compounding the problem is the loss of viable hunting lands throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Much of this can be attributed to the attrition of small to mid-size farms, lands lost to development. Multi-million dollar homes, shopping malls, industrial parks and dense housing complexes -- locations where hunting is out of the question -- have displaced stands of field corn, soybean, sorghum, wheat and other grains.

The small parcels of woodland situated between developed areas are heavily populated with deer and other wildlife species. But because of their proximity to inhabited buildings, hunting is prohibited.

Consequently, the only viable option remaining open for avid hunters, especially deer hunters, is to pursue their favorite pastime on public lands where hunting is still permitted.

In Maryland, more than 50 such areas still exist, but some locations are now in jeopardy of being closed. Just a year ago, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich put forth a mandate that would eliminate several prime forested areas statewide and sell them to the highest bidder.