California wildlife officials have approved a controversial conservation plan to eliminate approximately 2,000 non-native deer from Catalina Island to restore the island’s ecosystem.
The proposal, submitted by the Catalina Island Conservancy, received approval last week from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The comprehensive restoration plan aims to do more than just remove the deer population. It also includes initiatives to restore soil and water systems while expanding native plant growth across the 22-mile-long island.
“This marks a pivotal moment for conservation on Catalina and in California,” said Lauren Dennhardt, senior director of conservation for the conservancy. “The permit clears the way for restoration work the island has needed for decades, and it allows us to take action at a transformative scale,” she told KTLA.
The deer were originally introduced to Catalina in small numbers during the 1930s for hunting purposes. However, their population quickly exploded, reaching approximately 2,000 by 1949. Despite efforts since 2010 to manage the population by culling more than 200 deer annually, conservationists say these measures haven’t been sufficient.
Scott Morrison, director of conservation and science for The Nature Conservancy in California, emphasized the severity of the situation: “The evidence of the severity of the threat the deer pose is overwhelming, and all other alternatives have been exhausted. Catalina Island can have either a functional, biodiverse and resilient ecosystem or it can have deer. It cannot have both.”
The plan has faced significant opposition, particularly from Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Catalina Island. “Mule deer have been part of Catalina’s landscape for nearly a century, and their presence has become an important part of the island’s identity,” Hahn wrote in a letter to the CDFW. “This plan disregards the deeply held values of many Catalina residents and visitors.”
Implementation of the restoration work will be phased, beginning with a fenced 10-acre area near Airport in the Sky before expanding to a 105-acre restoration zone. Eventually, the project will scale across the entire island over multiple years.
A previous proposal to shoot the deer from helicopters was abandoned in 2024 following concerns from island residents. The revised approach will utilize “ground-based specialists” with rifles instead. The conservancy has announced that meat harvested from the culled deer will support the California Condor Recovery Program, providing a natural food source for these endangered birds.
Before the full elimination begins, there will be a final recreational hunting season exclusively for local residents in fall 2026.
“Catalina is a treasure that will rebound much like the other Channel Islands as a result of restoring native habitats and removing the pressure caused by invasives like mule deer,” Dennhardt added.
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