Volunteers from the West Desert Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation will spend their free time over the next several months defending the species they love with chainsaws.
Beginning next week, the group will descend on a 20,000-acre stretch of land in the southwest corner of Tooele County to remove junipers and pinion pines on the Onaqui Mountains. The area is considered crucial habitat for both the mule deer and the sage grouse, among other important desert species.
Junipers and pinion pines drop needles that raise the acidity of the soil directly beneath them and kill native brush and grasses that serve as forage for many species, including mule deer, said Ray Crow, vice president of marketing for the Mule Deer Foundation.
With the assistance of the Bureau of Land Management and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Crow said the Mule Deer Foundation planned to remove about 90 percent of the junipers and pinions in the project area over the coming fall and winter. The volunteers will also re-seed the area with native grasses and brush.
The habitat restoration is necessary, Crow said, because unlike other species such as elk, the mule deer relies on certain grasses, sagebrush and bitter brush for its food source. Habitat degradation as well as other factors have caused mule deer populations to decline significantly in recent years.
“The mule deer is the only declining big game species in North America,” he said. “We’ve taken them for granted all of their lives. In the ‘70s, they really started taking a plummet.”
Mule deer have not only lost ground to habitat degradation and destructive forces such as forest fires, Crow said, but in recent years urban sprawl and highway kill have taken a toll on the species.
“There’s not a single one thing that is the reason mule deer are in decline,” he said. “There’s many.”
“Even if you’re not a hunter or an outdoors person, this majestic species won’t be around for our kids and grandkids to enjoy if we don’t do anything about it,” he added.
That was exactly why the Mule Deer Foundation came together in 1988, Crow said — to do something about the mule deer. Today the foundation has more than 40,000 members, has 150 chapters dedicated to fundraising, and rallies around causes such as highway overpasses, open space in urban areas, and “a lot of hands and feet getting dirty” to “re-grow deer food,” he said.
The group is also looking for local volunteers who would like to assist with the project, Crow said. Those who are interested should visit www.muledeer.org or email westdesertmdf@gmail.com for more information.
Crow, a local resident, said he planned to get involved himself. He doubts anyone will trust him to run the heavy machinery, he said, so he’ll “be the chainsaw guy.”
