The Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer on Sept. 29 announced on change.org that the group would appeal the court ruling to dismiss the lawsuit that challenged the Catalina Island Conservancy’s plan to remove the Island deer population. The Conservancy argues that the removal is necessary to prevent wildfires because the deer consume native plants and to restore the Island’s natural habitat. Some opponents argue that the deer contribute to preventing wildfires but consuming potential fuel for the fires.
“Given the court’s earlier rulings in this case, yesterday’s decision was not entirely unexpected,” said the Coalition’s unsigned post at change.org.
“For some time, we have understood that our real opportunity for independent review of these legal questions might ultimately come in the Court of Appeal,” the post said.
“This was not the ruling we wanted, but there is a silver lining. By dismissing our petition without leave to amend, the court has spared us the time and expense it would take to rewrite the petition and return to the same judge in the same trial court. Once judgment is entered, we can take our case directly to the Court of Appeal,” the post said.
“The Conservancy did not prove that Catalina’s deer are responsible for the ecological collapse it alleges. No witnesses testified, no experts were cross-examined, and no court weighed competing scientific evidence. What happened instead is that the court rejected our legal challenges on threshold issues and allowed the project to continue without the full CEQA review that we believe California law requires,” the post said.
The coalition will hold a Catalina Deer and Dine Fundraiser event at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 22, at 128 Catalina Ave.
According to givebutter.com, the Coalition has raised $6,220 as of 12:54 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30. The Coalition’s goal: $35,000.