Yesterday, the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer delivered more than 30,000 petition signatures to Governor Gavin Newsom and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Meghan Hertel.
The Californians who have signed their names on this petition vehemently oppose the Catalina Island Conservancy's proposal to eradicate 100% of the mule deer population on Catalina Island.
The petition delivery was marked by a press conference at the California State Capitol in Sacramento featuring California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, who also serves as Co-Chair of the California Legislative Outdoor Sporting Caucus, alongside coalition supporters, hunters, conservation advocates, and concerned Californians calling for a transparent, science-based approach to wildlife management.
"As Co-Chair of the Legislative Outdoor Sporting Caucus and a life-long conservationist, it is seriously troubling that the Newsom Administration is short cutting environmental review to eliminate a California native species," said California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones. "The residents of the island rely on the deer for their personal enjoyment and to bring in tourism. Those residents are uniformly opposed to the eradication and the eradication needs to be stopped."
"I have opposed this plan from the beginning. The many thousands of people who signed this petition reflect what I have consistently heard from Catalina residents and visitors: this community was never genuinely consulted, the case for wiping out the entire deer population has not conclusively been made, and possible alternatives and other humane approaches have been dismissed rather than invested in. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife should not have approved this permit, and I am calling on the Department to reconsider," said Supervisor Janice Hahn of the Los Angeles County Fourth District. "At a bare minimum, a project of this magnitude demands the full environmental review that CEQA requires. The permanent elimination of a wildlife population that has been part of this island for nearly a century carries real consequences for wildfire risk, for the ecosystem, and for the character of a community my constituents deeply love. The Conservancy secured an exemption from that process instead of submitting to it, thereby denying the public the independent scientific review, transparency, and engagement they deserve. That process must happen before a single animal is killed."
"SCI is committed to standing side by side with hunting, conservation, and sportsmen's advocacy organizations in our fierce opposition to the unconscionable eradication of mule deer on Catalina Island," said W. Laird Hamberlin, CEO of Safari Club International. "With today's delivery of more than 30,000 signatures opposing California's decision, we hope to underscore the public's demand for sound, science-backed conservation policies. California's wildlife depends on it."
"More than 30,000 people have spoken, and their message is clear: decisions of this magnitude must be grounded in transparent, science-based process," said Charles Whitwam, founder and president of Howl For Wildlife. "Before moving to eradicate an entire population of California mule deer, the public deserves clear population targets, measurable management plans, and credible data. This petition shows that Californians expect better—and they expect it now."
"The deer on the island are a Public Trust Resource and a native California species, regardless of the Department of Fish and Wildlife's and the Catalina Island Conservancy's attempts to claim otherwise to justify their slaughter and eradication program," said Robin Cassidy with the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer. "The Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer and the over 30,000 people that signed the petition are calling on CDFW Director Hertel and Governor Newsom and all elected officials to ensure that an entity with the expertise and ability to responsibly manage the deer population is put in charge to support the enjoyment of all residents and to sustain our tourism dependent businesses."
"To many of us, Catalina's deer are woven into the identity, history, and lived experience of island life. Whether someone supports or opposes deer management, the community deserved honesty, transparency, and a real voice before the State authorized irreversible action," said Brynn McCurdy with the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer. "Instead, Island residents, business owners, visitors and our local government representatives watched this decision move forward through an expedited process with virtually no meaningful public participation. This petition reflects a growing movement demanding that California slow down, follow CEQA, and give the public the process it was denied."
"California Bowmen Hunters and State Archery Association is pleased to join other concerned NGOs in an effort to stop the senseless and systematic eradication of mule deer on Catalina Island. CBH/SAA believes, as others do, that proper management of the deer herd through scientific methods by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife can easily yield the results that everyone is looking for without a complete eradication," said Chris Bowles, President of the California Bowmen Hunters/State Archery Association. "This deer herd has been coexisting with other native plants and wildlife and buffalo on Catalina for a century. For the Catalina Island Conservancy to now join with an industrial sniper company to destroy a valuable native deer herd in the state of California makes no sense and goes against the very laws and values that we hold dear. CBH/SAA is proud to join other litigants in an effort to stop this senseless destruction of our valuable California resources."
"The Catalina Island Conservancy's mule deer eradication plan demonstrates no respect, no honor, no morality, or ethics for the sanctity of life," said Dianne Stone, Advisor and Historian with the Catalina Island Humane Society. "The Catalina Island Humane Society decries this action as inhumane, unjustified, and completely unnecessary."
"As a lifelong islander with very intimate knowledge of the Island's interior, flora and fauna, I can tell you that the deer do not present any harm to the island," said Pastor Lopez with the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer. "The Conservancy has done more damage than anything else. They must not be allowed to spray herbicides on this beautiful thriving island. They continue to perpetuate very flawed, paid-for pseudo-science."
"My name is Wendy Hernandez, I grew up on Catalina Island, raised my three children here and now my granddaughters are being raised here as well. I am against the Catalina Island Conservancy plan to eradicate the mule deer on our island. This project is extraordinary in scale, scope and duration for an inhabited California island. And yet the state approved this project through a fast-track exemption process rather than forcing a full public environmental review. I am asking for transparency, public inclusion and a full CEQA review before this irreversible decision, which carries consequences for wildlife, water, community trust and local livelihoods, is carried out," said Wendy Hernandez with the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer.