Overview
- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the Conservancy’s restoration permit in late January, authorizing multi-year lethal removal by trained ground teams under strict safety protocols.
- Work begins with a fenced 10-acre pilot near Airport in the Sky, with expansion planned to larger priority zones under Operation Protect Catalina Island.
- Harvested deer will be used as meat for the California Condor Recovery Program, and a locals-only recreational hunting season is slated for fall 2026.
- Conservationists say deer introduced in the 1920s, estimated at roughly 500 to 1,800, are degrading native plants, driving erosion and threatening the freshwater aquifer.
- The earlier helicopter plan was dropped in 2024 after petitions and opposition from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and officials have not disclosed daily schedules or a total removal target.