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Elic Weitzel

@elicweitzel.bsky.social

1K followers 190 following 38 posts

Ecological anthropologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History David Graeber retweeted me once linktr.ee/ElicWeitzel

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Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Jul 7

For any graduate students in anthropology/archaeology, the Smithsonian is accepting applications for a 10-week in-residence fellowship to use the Museum of Natural History collections to study a topic related to Indigenous cultures. $15k award. Apps due Aug 1!

fellowships.si.edu/opportunity/...

The Robert D. Hevey, Jr. and Constance M. Filling Fellowship in Anthropology

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fellowships.si.edu

Reposted by Elic Weitzel

UConn Research @uconnresearch.bsky.social · Jun 2

What can centuries-old deer bones teach us about conservation? 🦌 @elicweitzel.bsky.social analyzes these bones to study unsustainable practices of the past. His work could help us avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

today.uconn.edu/2025/06/how-...

How Economics Nearly Drove New England’s White-Tailed Deer to Extinction - UConn Today

“Once you start commodifying animals and commodifying nature, problems happen”

today.uconn.edu

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Jun 2

My new paper on early evidence for colonial-era white-tailed deer declines was just featured in UConn Today!

“Once you start commodifying animals and commodifying nature, problems happen.”

today.uconn.edu/2025/06/how-...

How Economics Nearly Drove New England’s White-Tailed Deer to Extinction - UConn Today

“Once you start commodifying animals and commodifying nature, problems happen”

today.uconn.edu

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Jun 1

Thanks Dr. J! Hope you're well!

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Jun 1

Thanks! Yes, there was - here's a plot from Camille Kessler's 2024 paper in Mol. Bio. & Evo. Top is genetic data, bottom is estimated historical pop & restocking data. Purple is white-tails. Seems the bottleneck still impacts their genome, but they have recovered well considering how severe it was

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 29

Check out my new article in @us.theconversation.com about white-tailed deer historical ecology! It's a broad overview of the entirety of human-deer interactions in the eastern U.S., but also features some of my latest work on the topic.

theconversation.com/the-rise-and...

The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer

A new archaeological study finds early evidence of white-tailed deer declines in the 17th century, likely driven by the commodification of deerskins under colonial capitalism.

theconversation.com

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 18

Giving a talk on deer historical ecology in Sterling, VA next month at Crooked Run Fermentation Brewery! Come grab a drink and hang out! Tickets available below:

www.ticketleap.events/tickets/prof...

Profs & Pints Northern Virginia: Deer to Us

Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “Deer to Us,” on more than 12,000 years of interactions between eastern North America’s white-tailed deer and human residents, with Elic Weitzel, postdocto...

www.ticketleap.events

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

The lesson here is that if we want sustainability, don't worry about demography as much as commodification. Turning nature into commodities that certain folks can profit from helps divorce consumption from real need. Especially when consumption is for social signaling of status, like with deerskins.

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

The reason deer were overhunted seems to have been commodification within a new capitalist economy. Fashionable deerskin clothes may have inspired greater deer consumption in the 17th century, depleting deer populations even though there were fewer consumers around (images from Spiers 1973)

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

This suggests that population policy today seeking to reduce human numbers for environmentalist reasons may not work. All else being equal, fewer people means more sustainability - but all else is not equal. Contrary to common arguments, there's more to the story than just consumer demography...

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

Importantly, this shows that sustainability isn't always related to human population size. Human pops were low in the 17th c. as epidemics and colonial violence reduced Native pops, and Europeans hadn't arrived in force yet. Deer were overhunted at a time when there were fewer people than before.

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

This is based on higher juvenile mortality in the 17th century than previously. Hunters generally don't take smaller juveniles unless they can't get larger adults, so this indicates hunting pressure depleted adults. The data for this come partly from aging mandibles, like this one from a fawn.

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

Pleased to share my new paper on the Commodification of White-Tailed Deer in 17th century Southern New England! In it, I find evidence for increased hunting pressure on deer from the late 17th c., suggesting their population declined soon after Europeans arrived

authors.elsevier.com/a/1l60c-JVc4...

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

The lesson here is that if we want sustainability, don't worry about demography as much as commodification. Turning nature into commodities that certain folks can profit from helps divorce consumption from real need. Especially when consumption is for social signaling of status, like with deerskins.

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

The reason deer were overhunted seems to have been commodification within a new capitalist economy. Fashionable deerskin clothes may have inspired greater deer consumption in the 17th century, depleting deer populations even though there were fewer consumers around (images from Spiers 1973)

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

This suggests that population policy today seeking to reduce human numbers for environmentalist reasons may not work. All else being equal, fewer people usually means more sustainable resource use - but all else is not equal. There's more to the story than just consumer demography...

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

Importantly, this shows that sustainability isn't directly related to human population size. Human pops were low in the 17th c. as epidemics and colonial violence reduced Native pops, and Europeans hadn't arrived in force yet. Deer were overhunted at a time when there were fewer people than before.

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · May 16

This is based on higher juvenile mortality in the 17th century than previously. Hunters generally don't take smaller juveniles unless they can't get larger adults, so this indicates hunting pressure depleted adults. The data for this come partly from aging mandibles, like this one from a fawn.

Reposted by Elic Weitzel

Elspeth Ready @elspethready.bsky.social · May 7

Job announcement 🚨: paid fieldwork opportunity with Sanguatsiniq research project! Details in thread ⬇️ Please share!

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Apr 28

Had a great time at #SAA2025 talking about the evidence (or lack thereof) for overhunting white-tailed deer

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Feb 28

I've long been confused by the digital/analog statements, Jon. Are you referring to our particular interpretation of a democratic system? Surely people participating in decision-making about their own lives (i.e., democracy) is still possible in our contemporary world?

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Feb 26

Likewise!!

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Feb 26

Read the @51st.news instead of @washingtonpost.com. Independent worker-controlled news beats the hell out of undemocratic pro-billionaire propaganda...

Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · Feb 26

SCOOP: WaPo Opinion editor David Shipley is out. Jeff Bezos emails staff about a change to Post Opinions: "We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets."

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Feb 20

Just about one week left until the deadline! Undergrads - get those applications in!

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Jan 28

I'm hiring two upper-level undergraduates (or recent graduates) this August for a 3 week long PAID Smithsonian internship in Connecticut. We'll be visiting several archaeological collections to measure quahog clam shells!

Please share!

Apply here by March 1:

internships.si.edu/opportunity/...

Marine Historical Ecology and Zooarchaeology Internship

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internships.si.edu

Elic Weitzel @elicweitzel.bsky.social · Feb 11

Not this time, unfortunately - this is a hands-on interactive thing with museum guests. But I'm sure I'll be giving many more talks on deer historical ecology in the future!