Courtesy of Supervisor Janice Hahn’s Office
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 23, unanimously approved a motion to express its opposition to a plan by the Catalina Island Conservancy to eradicate the entire mule deer population on Catalina Island by shooting the deer from helicopters. The motion, made Supervisor Janice Hahn, argued that other methods should be considered.
Hahn’s district includes the city of Avalon.
The Conservancy has argued that the mule deer pose a threat to the island’s ecosystem by overgrazing and destroying native plants and habitats. Opponents of the eradication have questioned its necessity. The Conservancy proposes eradicating the deer by shooting them from helicopters, a plan that has been met with outrage by many on and off the island. Opponents have questioned the necessity of eradication and the proposed method.
“I understand the Conservancy’s concerns with the impact of the deer population, but I disagree that massacring hundreds of animals from helicopters is the right solution,” Hahn said. “This plan is extreme and I have heard from my constituents both on and off the island who oppose it. I am asking the Conservancy to put this plan on hold and reconsider several alternative proposals they had previously dismissed– including relocating the deer, extending the deer hunting season to thin the herd, and sterilization.”
The Board of Supervisors will send a letter to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife opposing the Conservancy’s permit application based on the proposed methodology.
Reactions
Julie Benson, Communications director for the Catalina Island Conservancy wrote:
“We understand the emotional pull the issue may have, but unless we follow the science and trust the experts, the future of Catalina Island and all who call it home is truly at risk.
“The Catalina Island Restoration Project is about making Catalina a safer, more self-sustaining, and resilient island for generations to come.
“Introduced mule deer are eating the native plants that form a natural environmental barrier that helps to protect Catalina and Avalon residents from the harsh realities of climate change – including wildfire and drought.
“The Conservancy has studied a variety of methodologies to tackle this issue. Scientific and veterinary experts agree that aerial hunting is the most humane and effective approach. The methodology is safely and humanely used worldwide, including on inhabited islands like Catalina.
Melinda Benson, an attorney helping the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer, wrote:
“We are overjoyed that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Monday to support Supervisor Hahn’s motion to express the Board’s formal opposition to the Conservancy’s brutal plan to slaughter mule deer on Catalina Island by shooting them from helicopters over the course of two-and-a-half years.
“We were so heartened that the Supervisors were not persuaded by the Conservancy’s baseless apocalyptic warnings and accounts of invasive species eradications from other places on the globe that bear no resemblance to Catalina Island.
“Politics can be a cynical business, with representation often going to the highest bidder. With this motion and, frankly, throughout this entire ordeal, Supervisor Hahn has listened to the people and has demonstrated time and again that powerful interests and deep pockets will not dictate policy in the Fourth District.
“We extend our deep thanks Supervisors Barger, Horvath, Mitchell, and Solis for their support of Supervisor Hahn’s motion, and we are beyond grateful to Supervisor Hahn for her support and, as Pastor Lopez said during public comment at Monday’s meeting, her friendship to the Island.”
