“The f***in Catalina Wine Mixer!” – Hunters, probably.
In what could potentially result in something better than a wine-fueled networking event, the Catalina Island Conservancy – the non-profit organization that manages 90% of the island’s flora and fauna – is proposing a cull that is drawing the usual sorts of controversy.
In addition to the annual event popularized by the 2015 movie Step Brothers, Santa Catalina Island, located off the coast of Los Angeles, is home to a variety of wildlife, dive sites and the island’s tallest peak, Mt. Orizaba.
In an effort to bring back the natural balance and beauty of the island, the Conservancy has grown weary of the number of mule deer that have taken up residence there. California mule deer were introduced to Catalina back in the 1930s in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game. With populations historically ranging between 500 and 1,000 animals for much of their history on the island, the Conservancy has long worked with guides and outfitters to effectively manage the deer through hunting.
With population numbers ballooning over the past decade, the island’s native plants and grasses have been decimated. Add in recurring cycles of both drought and wildfires and suddenly you’ve got the potential for devastation in terms of the island’s natural balance.
While hunting does remain an option, it’s becoming apparent that it simply isn’t enough to keep populations in check. As part of a recent proposal, the Conservancy is seeking approval to utilize helicopter-mounted sharpshooters to kill nearly 2,000 of the invasive deer.
“The island and the deer are both fighting for survival and neither one is winning,” said Whitney Latorre, 44, the conservancy’s chief executive officer.
“Unless we address the deer issue, the island will become more and more vulnerable to the devastating consequences brought on by rising temperatures and drought,” she said.
And this isn’t the first time the island has used culling to support its natural balance. In 1990, hunters removed roughly 1,700 goats during a two-week cull and invasive hogs have also been successfully removed from Catalina’s landscape.
As with any culling, the proposal does not come without the expected blowback. Many of the year-round residents as well as the local Humane Society are at odds with the idea of removing such a large number of deer from the island.
“The mule deer have been on this island for nearly 100 years. Their gentle presence is an integral part of our island’s natural appeal,” Dianne Stone of the Catalina Island Humane Society wrote in a recent letter to The Catalina Islander, a local newspaper.
Officials from the Conservancy stated that the mule deer are by far the most destructive animals left on the island and to ignore that fact would result in catastrophic consequences.
