conservation

Judge clears path for Catalina Island cull of 2,000 mule deer

• A Los Angeles County judge tentatively denied a preliminary injunction Tuesday that would have blocked the Catalina Island Conservancy from killing nearly all of the island's 2,000 mule deer.
• The conservancy, which controls 88% of Santa Catalina Island, says the cull is needed because non-native deer eat native shrubs and accelerate the spread of invasive grasses that ignite and spread fire more easily.
• Conservancy communications director Pepe Barton called the decision "never our first choice" and described it as a "necessary step" to protect the island's native species.
• Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn asked California Governor Gavin Newsom to intervene; an online petition against the cull had gathered more than 32,000 signatures.
• The five-year plan calls for about 200 deer to be hunted with rifles over the next two months, with island residents allowed one hunting season from late October to mid-December.