Photo by Mike Speaks.

Thanks to the recent culling of deer in Rock Creek Park, the National Park Service was able to donate 1,700 pound of venison to DC Central Kitchen.

While NPS gave itself until the end of March 2015 to meet its objective of killing 55 deer, that goal has already been met. To allow the forest to regenerate, NPS says there should be between 15 and 20 deer per square mile in the park. As of fall 2013, there were 77 per square mile. That number dropped to 40 deer per square mile in fall 2014.

“Because protein is one of the hardest donations to come by, DC Central Kitchen is grateful to receive this nutritious lean protein to use in our meals,” Amy Bachman, procurement and sustainability manager at DC Central Kitchen, said in a release. “We will use the venison in a variety of meals including venison chili and venison bolognese.”