A Mule Deer’s Life
LandWatch’s new Livable Future Forum invites community dialogue about pressing environmental issues
By Lace Thornberg, Communications Director, Central Oregon LandWatch
Last week, I brought my bike to a screeching halt to watch three fawns nibbling on bitterbrush while their mothers stood by attentively.
This is not unusual. My phone is filled with furtively snapped pictures of mule deer, even as I know that I will see them again soon. Most days, I see several antlered bucks and tawny does. I’ve come to expect them in certain places: in the airstrip just south of Bear Creek Road, or the farm fields on the way to Tumalo.
One of many unremarkable photos of mule deer in town on the author's phone.
Regular encounters with these sweet, stately animals might be what I cherish most about life in Bend and Central Oregon, although the dark skies, California quail, and scent of sagebrush all offer stiff competition for that title.
My commute here has much greater wildlife potential than what I was used to in Seattle, where I might see rabbits or a racoon, but never a deer.
For me, these mule deer are a reward. By living somewhere less hectic, more connected to nature, and where wildlife can still navigate our built environments, I’m privileged to enjoy their company.
These deer are also a responsibility. In moving here, I’ve taken up space that once was theirs. Moreover, I’m living on ceded lands, the ancestral domain of the Northern Paiute, Wasco and Warm Springs Tribes.
What can I do now to ensure that deer retain the safe habitat they need? How can I be a respectful guest on the land of those who’ve been here since time immemorial?
The climate advocacy group Protect Our Winters has put a name to this feeling; their term is “imperfect advocacy,” which describes working to protect places you love while recognizing that your lifestyle is part of the problem.
Protecting the winter range of mule deer is imperative to reversing the current decline in population.
Graphic: High Desert Museum
In Central Oregon, our local deer population dropped 33 percent between 2017 and 2022, and we know that our human encroachment into their habitat is to blame. Homes, fencing, and other development interrupts their migration patterns, putting stress on the animals and making them more susceptible to disease and predation. Deer strikes by vehicles are yet another large factor contributing to mule deer population decline, and the traffic volume on our highways, streets, and backroads will only continue to rise.
But our growth doesn’t need to mean losing our deer if we proceed with intention.
This fall, Central Oregon LandWatch is debuting the Livable Future Forum, to serve as a place for discussion and dialogue about the key environmental issues of our time, biodiversity loss and climate change chief among them. We’ll talk about solutions that we can put into place locally, with a focus on the land use policies that play a key role in shaping our future reality.
In our first Livable Future Forum event, A Mule Deer’s Life, wildlife biologist Jon Nelson will provide intriguing insights into the life of a mule deer: why they browse on particular plants, where they seek cover from predators, how their bodies change during the mating season, and more. Nelson is the Curator of Wildlife at the High Desert Museum and has a deep experience in captive wildlife management, conservation field science, public engagement, and natural resources conservation.
Nelson will be joined by Jeremy Austin, Central Oregon LandWatch’s Wild Lands and Water Program Director. Austin is currently heading up the Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative. He’ll explain why wildlife crossings are a critically-needed solution in our region and provide a real-time update on where this effort stands.
When we understand what mule deer need and respect those needs, we can coexist. We can cluster housing developments in ways that preserve open space. Fences can be made permeable to support their migration between winter and summer ranges. Our transportation plans can include wildlife crossings.
LandWatch hopes these Livable Future Forum conversations will help people understand environmental challenges and issues and get excited about defining and ensuring a more equitable, sustainable, and verdant future in Central Oregon.