WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Park Service will turn to sharpshooters, birth control and other methods to thin the growing deer herd in Rock Creek Park and protect the park's vegetation.

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The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/LGPkw9) that the park service announced Wednesday that the plan was approved May 1.

Officials said the deer herd has grown since the 1960s, when just four white-tailed deer were spotted in the park.

They said the four-square-mile park now has 80 deer per square mile. Park officials will continue monitoring the deer population and using fences to protect plants.

However, they will also use sharpshooters and a capture-and-euthanize program.

Sharpshooting will be done mainly at night during late fall and winter.

Officials also plan to use sterilization and other birth control methods on the deer.