“Bucks County is undergoing an identity crisis,” explained a concerned local government official at last month's municipal meeting at the Doylestown Court House.

There have been mounting concerns over the past decade about how environmental changes would impact our community's identity, and due to years of hunting and development, time is running out.

“The deer population has decreased rapidly, faster than we expected” explains Doylestown's Sue Holland.

And with tourism driving millions of dollars of revenue to Bucks County, many of our local leaders believe this is a major cause for concern.

“When we're spending vast sums of money each year marketing our scenic region to major metropolitan populations like New York and Philadelphia, we need to put our best foot forward. And if ‘Bucks' are no longer a staple of our community, we need to consider a name that will properly represent our region, to properly set expectations.”

While deer populations dwindle, the local squirrel population is actually growing, making it a “safer” bet with marketing dollars according to some.

One of the most vocal proponents of this position, Bill Buckingham, has proposed what he believes is an obvious solution.

“We need to change with the times,” explains Bill. “Rather than sit back and allow this county to lose relevance, now is the time to invest in a symbol on our County's abundance. If we're going to invest hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, in the near future to build our region's reputation, we should take action now.”

To address the concern, there is talk that Bill and a group of his cohorts plan to formally propose an official name change for “Bucks” County later this year.

While an exact name has not been officially announced, other more locally abundant animals- such as the duck, fox, and squirrel – have been suggested has appropriate replacements.  The group is open to discussing the exact name, and has even suggested a public vote may be the best way to go.

The idea has faced a large amount of opposition, but with such strong opinions gaining momentum, there is no doubt that this hot button issue will not be going away anytime soon.

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