A helicopter will make several low passes over the Argonne site one day in January or February, part of a routine survey of the white-tailed deer population at the laboratory and in the surrounding forest preserve.
The exact date of the helicopter survey will depend on snow cover: at least six inches are needed to make the deer more visible to spotters aboard the aircraft.
The United States Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy have been working cooperatively for years to manage the deer populations on site.
The helicopter will stay at least 500 feet from buildings, and will vary in altitude from 500 feet down to treetop level. Total time for the survey will be about 45 minutes.