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ENLARGE
Delisting ceremony
Bureau of Land Management enforcement officer Jerry Bronson, left, and Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Travis Terry, with K-9 partner, watch the Columbian white-tailed delisting event Thursday at the North Bank Habitat Management Area.
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ENLARGE
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Columbian Whitetail
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Douglas County and state officials celebrated a giant step for Columbian white-tailed deer Thursday. The local population, once thought to be extinct and now numbering more than 5,500, was officially taken off the Endangered Species List.
"The Endangered Species Act is the last resort we have to protect species across the country," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Dave Allen, who made the official delisting announcement. "We have achieved that ultimate goal -- we have achieved recovery."
Allen thanked several people including all three Douglas County commissioners and officials at the delisting event, which took place at the Bureau of Land Management's North Bank Habitat Management Area, a key habitat reserve for the deer, spanning 6,500 acres off of North Bank Road between Wilbur and Glide.
The deer were first documented by Lewis and Clark in 1806 and largely disappeared as farmlands grew and they were forced out.
"The Endangered Species Act is the last resort we have to protect species across the country," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Dave Allen, who made the official delisting announcement. "We have achieved that ultimate goal -- we have achieved recovery."
Allen thanked several people including all three Douglas County commissioners and officials at the delisting event, which took place at the Bureau of Land Management's North Bank Habitat Management Area, a key habitat reserve for the deer, spanning 6,500 acres off of North Bank Road between Wilbur and Glide.
The deer were first documented by Lewis and Clark in 1806 and largely disappeared as farmlands grew and they were forced out.
Thought to be extinct in the 1930s, the deer became one of the first 78 listed for protection in 1967 under the Endangered Species Act. The species now numbers more than 5,500 in Douglas County. The other population, along the Columbia River, will remain on the endangered species list.
Recent efforts to protect the deer included building water guzzlers in the North Bank Habitat Management Area and banning
animals that could possibly carry diseases into the preserve.
"I was really impressed with what we could do," said Elaine Marquis-Brong, state BLM director. "This is one place this vision is getting a lot of results."
All of the speakers said the project could not have been successful without the cooperation of many organizations and private landowners.
Craig Tuss, the Roseburg-based field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said even small acts such as people building deer-friendly fences contributed to the success.
"As we continue the next phase of working with the deer, I hope these partnerships continue," Tuss said.
BLM and state officials will continue to monitor the progress of the deer for the next five years. The deer's population size, herd health and disease occurrence will be checked periodically. The next step is to transplant them to other habitats where they are not numerous now.
Steve Denney, the Southwest regional manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said these steps are necessary for the project to remain successful.
"Our goal is to not let them revert back to the Endangered Species List," Denney said. "We never want that to happen again."
* You can contact news intern Roman Gokhman at 672-3321 or via e-mail at romangokhman@journalist.com.
Recent efforts to protect the deer included building water guzzlers in the North Bank Habitat Management Area and banning
animals that could possibly carry diseases into the preserve.
"I was really impressed with what we could do," said Elaine Marquis-Brong, state BLM director. "This is one place this vision is getting a lot of results."
All of the speakers said the project could not have been successful without the cooperation of many organizations and private landowners.
Craig Tuss, the Roseburg-based field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said even small acts such as people building deer-friendly fences contributed to the success.
"As we continue the next phase of working with the deer, I hope these partnerships continue," Tuss said.
BLM and state officials will continue to monitor the progress of the deer for the next five years. The deer's population size, herd health and disease occurrence will be checked periodically. The next step is to transplant them to other habitats where they are not numerous now.
Steve Denney, the Southwest regional manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said these steps are necessary for the project to remain successful.
"Our goal is to not let them revert back to the Endangered Species List," Denney said. "We never want that to happen again."
* You can contact news intern Roman Gokhman at 672-3321 or via e-mail at romangokhman@journalist.com.
