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State greenlights total deer removal
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved a permit on Jan. 30 that allows the Catalina Island Conservancy to remove every mule deer from Catalina Island.
Trained professionals will use rifles in ground-based operations over four to five years. The Conservancy owns and manages 88 percent of the island, about 42,000 acres.
The effort falls under a broader initiative called Operation Protect Catalina Island, which combines habitat restoration, wildfire prevention, and conservation work.
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Deer arrived in the late 1920s
Mule deer are native to mainland California, but they never lived on the Channel Islands. Hunters brought a small number to Catalina starting in the late 1920s as game animals…