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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 21, 2004 Moving rare deer may help their comeback By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune State wildlife officials in Douglas County next week will begin trapping and transplanting some rare Columbian white-tailed deer as part of an effort to re-establish this former endangered species in more of its traditional range. The translocation program is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s newest effort for managing white-tails since the federal government removed the isolated deer population from the federal endangered species rolls last year. Biologists plan to focus on capturing family clusters of white-tails on private lands, then releasing them on other low- elevation oak or forestlands where the landowners are cooperative. "We’re doing this to give them a boost in increasing their distribution," said Tod Lum, the ODFW biologist overseeing the program. "This is the first year and we’re trying to get 25 animals," Lum said. "But no one really knows how successful we’re going to be." Advertisement First noticed by Lewis and Clark along the lower Columbia River in 1806, the Columbia white-tailed deer once extended along the lower Columbia River and throughout the Willamette and Umpqua basins in lands sandwiched by the Cascade and Coast ranges. But the draining of their wetland habitats and unrestricted hunting whittled the white-tails down to two remnant populations — Douglas County and the lower Columbia. The deer were deemed endangered 1967, a decade before the Endangered Species Act was created. At that time, the population was estimated at less than 500 animals. All hunting of them stopped. Later, white-tails reached the state's Endangered Species List as well. County, state and federal authorities launched a recovery plan that set a goal of rebuilding the Umpqua herds to 1,500 animals. The plan also set a goal of having at least 500 deer living in at least 5,500 acres of "secure" habitat. The federal Bureau of Land Management acquired a 6,580-acre ranch and designated it white-tail habitat. By 1996, Douglas County sported a white-tail population around 5,000 animals, and the Umpqua's white-tails became the first mammal dropped from state's endangered species rolls. The federal government began its de-listing process, which culminated with last year's lifting of the endangered status. The ODFW also plans a 12-day hunt for white-tail bucks next October, with an estimated 10 tags available, Lum said. The animals trapped beginning next week will be fitted with identifying ear tags and radio-collars to track their movements and survival rates, Lum said. COLUMBIAN WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) WHAT: The most western of 38 subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America. A smaller cousin to the more predominant black-tail and mule deer. DESCRIPTION: Grizzled top of head, long tail that is brown on top, fringed with white along the sides and tip. In males, antler points arise from a single main beam, unlike branched antlers. RANGE: In Western Oregon, distinct populations in Douglas County and the lower Columbia drainage. Also scattered in Eastern Oregon. HABITAT: In Douglas County, favor riparian areas and feed among oaks, brush and timber. Most in rural areas around Drain and Sutherlin. STATUS: Douglas County population taken off federal Endangered Species List in 2003; off state list in 1995. Other populations remain endangered. Originally listed in 1967 on the former Endangered Species Preservation Action, then grandfathered into the Endangered Species Act in 1977. POPULATIONS: Estimated at fewer than 500 animals in the 1970s, now numbers more than 6,000 in Douglas County. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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