The Horizon

All the latest updates on our work defending rural lands, creating livable cities and towns and preserving wild lands and water throughout Central Oregon

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Notes from the Field: Deer Winter Range

There is probably no species of wildlife more iconic of Central Oregon than mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Their elegant adaptations to the arid ecoregions east of the Cascades and their seeming ubiquity across both rural landscapes and urban areas give us the impression of an abundant population. But long-term studies show significant declines in regional mule deer herds. Protecting their winter range is one of the most effective measures we can take to slow and reverse this decline.

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