Communal living group and MDF Habitat Work in California

A prominent communal living group has moved into a Mule Deer Foundation Habitat improvement project in the Plumas National Forest.

The Project

Weather, wildlife, wildfires… These are all considerations the Mule Deer Foundation staff biologists taken consideration when planning timelines for projects. We know not all projects will run smoothly and that often times there will be delays, due to factors we cannot control. However, on a recent project close to completion in the Plumas National Forest our resident Mule Deer Foundation biologist was surprised to have work interrupted by a communal living organization, moving into the project area and setting up a “camp”.

This project is a 1000 acres of forest timber management. The Mule Deer Foundation is removing sawn timber to be converted into lumber for sale. 80% of the project area is fir trees with 10% being pine.

Thinning out this type of dense forested area in a well known hunting zone in California atop the Sierra Divide along key migration route is creating prime mule deer migration habitat. By clearing thick timber the Mule Deer Foundation will promote a more open forest with native forbes and grasses to prepare the area for a regenerative forest. This type of controlled forest management will encourage deer to utilize this migration route. Tree trimming is part of a standard 30 year timber management plan.

Implications of the Delay

Mule Deer Foundations Biologist was surprised to say the least when he received a call from the contractor alerting him that a well known communal living organization in California has chosen to sit in on the project area.

MDF Biologist, “I’ve done a few habitat projects since coming on board at MDF and you learn to expect delays but I thought this was a prank call at first. I like to think of myself as self reliant but, I had to call my boss and even she was confused.”

Moving Forward

This project is a public land project working with the USFS which makes managing the group in correlation with the project more difficult than one would imagine. In this case it seems, the best course of action is to pull our equipment out of the area to prevent theft and damage. Wait for the group to finish their retreat then come in and finish work as fast as possible.

Update Oct 1st 2024

Work has started up again and is set to finish before the end of October.

MDF regional Biologist Chris Daunt,

“This is just another one of the reasons it’s important that the mule deer foundation is able to tell our conservation story. It really just comes down to a lack of clarity from some members of the public on what we are doing when we are in the forest trimming trees, cutting down, ripping up invasive plants or spraying herbicide. The work we do is dramatically improving mule deer habitat across the west, I just wish more people knew what we were doing.”

Thanks CA MDF, keep connecting folks through conservation!

Good luck this fall. Send pictures or stories from the field to Web@muledeer.org to be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article, or any of our articles helped you become a better conservation steward, join the mule deer foundation. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/

Trevor J Hubbs https://www.instagram.com/trevorhubbs/

Trevor is the Communications Manager for the Mule deer Foundation. He grew up hunting and fishing the eastern edge of the Ozark mountains for quail, ducks, and bucks. Trevor is a contributor for “Fur, Fish, and Game”, Lethal Minds Journal, Strung Magazine, and Shooting Sportsman among others.