Catalina's Mule Deer could come to mainland, sustain mountain lions

We built the biggest wildlife corridor bridge around to accommodate the large predator species who have become isolated by our development. But what will they eat?

Mountain lion advocates will be quick to point out that mountain lions - and most big cats - have a diet that includes pretty much everything in their territory. Including coyotes. We might appreciate mountain lions more than we know for that habit, because coyotes can multiply quickly and become very acclimated to living in the presence of humans.

But what mountain lions really thrive on is deer. And when a mountain lion makes a deer kill, all of Nature benefits. From insects to bird species, foxes, coyotes, bears and wolves, rodents, even the ground itself upon which the remains of the carcass seep into...everyone benefits from the kill.

So rather than slaughtering and carving into condor meat however many deer there are on Catalina Island, it would makes sense to consider bringing some of those deer to places where their populations have declined or diminished, but the predators that prey upon them still remain. And it would make sense...since we are the ones that took the water from the land in the first place...to create some wildlife watering stations along the way.

Rebalancing wild ecosystems is never easy, and in our new fire-all-the-time climate, removing herbivores from a landscape can backfire. Herbivores can be a front-line defense in managing vegetation. CDFW is citing damage to native plant species because the deer have no natural predators and so their populations can experience pretty extreme fluctuations.

The mule deer eradication plan is called the Catalina Island Restoration Project. The more specific details of the project document (you can find the document online) are

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION PROJECTS CONCURRENCE NO. 21080.56-2026-090-R5

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the decision-making agency in this instance. If you want to share your own thoughts and ideas on the matter, here's how to reach their lead: