Afton and William O’Brien state parks will be closed to visitors for two days each next month to accommodate deer hunts.

Afton State Park will be closed Nov. 8-9, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

William O’Brien State Park in northern Washington County will be closed Nov. 15-16.

The purpose of the hunts is to prevent overpopulation of deer and to protect other resources, said Mark Cleveland, the DNR’s Parks and Trails natural resource policy and program coordinator.

“Too many individuals of one species can throw an ecosystem out of balance,” Cleveland said. “When deer populations grow too large, they over-browse on native plants and young trees, making it harder for forests to regenerate.”

Dense deer herds also create conditions where diseases spread more easily, he said.

For more information, go to mndnr.gov/parkhunts.

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