The National Park Service is considering a plan to reduce the deer population at the Fire Island National Seashore.

More than a dozen animal rights activists protested outside the Fire Island National Seashore headquarters to show their opposition to any plans to euthanize deer.

The National Park Service says there are more than 300 deer in just 8 square miles of the Fire Island seashore and that the herd is growing. Park rangers and biologists say that the deer are so hungry that they're endangering the rare vegetation.

"What we are working toward is a balanced ecosystem, that not only benefits future generations of national park visitors, but also the small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians that rely on those habitats," says Elizabeth Rogers, of the National Park Service.

Besides euthanizing deer, the National Park Service says there are several other plans under consideration -- including fencing off vegetation and sterilizing deer.