ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Crocodile Tears Over Deer

The argument that erupted at the Orange County Board of Supervisors over the annual deer hunt in the Cleveland National Forest was odd. The supervisors appeared astonished that the state Department of Fish and Game would ask for approval of the fall hunt, although it has been held for many years.

Somehow the discussion spiraled down to who supported deer more, the board or the department, with supervisors purporting to be the stronger defender.

Whether one supports hunting or not, it’s clear the primary danger to deer in Orange County isn’t from hunters. Last year, the Tenaja Antlerless Deer Hunt--the hunt the state Department of Fish and Game was seeking approval for--resulted in six does being killed. For some people, that may be six too many. But a graver danger exists for the county’s deer population because of suburban encroachment on habitats.

If supervisors were really concerned, they could be more vigilant about the impact of development on canyons and forests. For example, the board could have acceded to the state Department of Fish and Game’s request two years ago not to certify the environmental impact report prepared for the Eastern Transportation Corridor because of concerns about deer and other wildlife.

About that same time, the department asked the board for a telemetry study of deer--a way of tracking animals with radio transmitters to see where they live and forage. Esther Burkett, a wildlife biologist for the department, said that request was ignored; she later persuaded the corridor agency to conduct the study. The TCA is working on ways to build animal crossings into the design of any toll roads it oversees.

Nor has the county’s Planning Commission--which is appointed by the board--demonstrated much concern. When the fate of deer was raised at a hearing on the Las Flores Planned Community, which is to be built next to a creek-bed canyon east of Mission Viejo, Commissioner Roger D. Slates airily suggested that deer and urban development don’t “mix.� He added, apparently trying to be funny, “Why don’t we plant some apple orchards out there and issue some hunting licenses?�

Board members were right when they suggested that not enough is known about the impact of the drought on the deer population. And they made a dramatic statement in recommending against the hunt. But to really protect wildlife they must do more--like insisting on careful land-use planning.