Parts of Civic Center Park and Croydon Creek Nature Center will be closed for portions of November to January to allow a pilot archery deer-culling program to take place in the John Hayes Memorial Forest (852 Avery Road) and surrounding parkland.

The pilot will take place Nov. 21-29, Dec. 19-27 and Jan. 9-16.

As the number of deer have increased, so has the risk of vehicle accidents, damage to landscapes and forest ecosystems, and Lyme disease. The cull is intended to bring the white-tailed deer population to a more sustainable level in concert with other measures, such as data collection, education and participation in a countywide deer-management working group.

From 2008-2017, according to the Rockville City Police Department, 1,400 deer-vehicle collisions were reported, most often during the height of the deer breeding season in October and November. A survey of six Rockville parks showed an average of 130-160 deer per square mile. A healthy deer population is around 20 deer per square mile.

For more information, and a map of the specific areas affected, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/deerculling.