Due to weather and concerns for the safety on the roads , this event has been canceled. Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule for next month or host a webinar about the Round Valley Mule Deer herd. The deer will likely stay on their winter range in Round Valley longer this year because of the large snowpack, so we will likely be able to see them later this year. Please stay …continue reading
Mule Deer populations in the Eastern Sierra have declined in recent decades. Work is being done to permanently protect the critical winter range of this iconic species. With spring soon approaching, mule deer will follow their instinct and migrate to the upper summer ranges. Wildlife biologists’ research has documented that migration patterns are learned behavior; a doe teaches her fawns, and that leads them to the places they can find food and …continue reading
Mule deer are an iconic species in the Western US. Perhaps you have seen them take bounding, stiff-legged hops through the sagebrush, or noticed their large, mule-like ears. Maybe you saw a mule deer from the Round Valley herd! The Round Valley mule deer herd migrates seasonally between the valley floor in the winter and mountain meadows in the summer. On their journey, they must pass through a thin bottleneck in Swall …continue reading
Garnering the support of local, state, and federal agencies over the course of years, we have now secured a conservation easement in perpetuity for the historic Hunewill Ranch (est. 1861). This working ranch is located in the heart of beautiful, expansive Bridgeport Valley, and is framed by the mountain peaks that border Yosemite National Park. It is now preserved forever for wildlife and sustainable ranching. This historic agreement marks our largest conservation …continue reading
A treacherous corridor. A missing puzzle piece. A shared solution. Mule deer migrate through the Swall Meadows Wildlife Area twice every year. Imagine that the year is 1999, and you just moved to a new home in Swall Meadows. Every day out your window, you begin to see the same thing. Mule deer! A lot of mule deer. This experience led community members to the discovery that homes lay in …continue reading