Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006 • Watershed committee to host workshop on migratory deer

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006, edition of the Lassen County Times.

Did you know that the Lake Almanor Basin is the summer home for the largest migratory deer herd in California?

Through the months of May to October, residents and tourists around Lake Almanor have the opportunity to observe members of the eastern Tehama deer herd.

Unfortunately, the number of deer from this herd returning to the Almanor Basin has declined dramatically in recent years.

A public workshop held ftom 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, at the Hamilton Branch Fire Hall, will attempt to explain why.

Unlike the deer that stay in the Almanor Basin year-round, the eastern Tehama deer herd migrates up to 100 miles every year — the longest distance of any herd in the state. This herd is a subspecies of Columbian black-tailed deer, a type of mule deer with big ears, a white rump and an all-black tail.

The herd migrates from its winter feeding grounds in Tehama County through parts of Shasta, Butte, Lassen and Plumas counties to its summer range in the Almanor Basin.

Throughout the United States, resident deer have been replacing migratory deer populations, particularly in areas of rapid development. Housing and related developments can impact important breeding and wintering areas for deer and impede their migration.

Lawns and golf courses also provide a reliable year-round food source, eliminating the need to migrate seasonally.  That is, of course, when they are not covered with four feet of snow.

Migratory deer herds have been eliminated in many areas of the Sierra Nevada, and remaining populations are at risk of losing their natural patterns.

In the Lake Almanor watershed, the cumulative impacts of rapid development, fire management, traffic and human interaction with the deer may be the causes of the decline in population of the eastern Tehama deer herd.

“Smart growth, which considers appropriate locations for developments and areas which need to be set aside or preserved, could be the key to the long-term health and survival of the deer,” said Dick Daniel, a retired biologist and member of the Almanor Basin Watershed Advisory Committee.

“We don’t need to stop growth; we just need to consider it in the context of why most of us live here in the first place. Seeing deer is an everyday part of life in the Basin. The deer are an important part of our quality of life,” added Daniel.

The California Department of Fish and Game has been studying the migration and health of the eastern Tehama deer herd.

Concerned about the health of the migratory deer herd population and what it says about the condition of the entire watershed, the Fish, Wildlife and Critical Habitats subcommittee of the Almanor Basin Watershed Advisory Committee has organized a public workshop on the status and trends of the eastern Tehama deer herd.

David Walker, a wildlife biologist with Fish and Game, will lead off the discussion.  Walker has been monitoring the eastern Tehama deer herd for many years and will provide insight on the trends in the population and make some suggestions as to why the population seems to be declining.

Jeff Finn, also a wildlife biologist with DFG, will talk about developments in the Almanor Basin and how they have affected deer habitat. Finn will explain the department’s position on some recently completed and proposed projects.

The discussion that will follow will cover citizen concerns, the appropriateness of using the deer as an indicator species, and how local basin residents can help foster smart growth, beneficial timber harvest and fire management, safe traffic patterns, and the avoidance of detrimental human interaction with the deer.

Everyone interested in Lake Almanor and the watershed is encouraged to attend the Sept. 11 workshop.