Page 74 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

From Above, Nevada Sees Mule Deer Decline, Connects Dots with GIS Unlike Nevada's lawmakers who temporarily descend on Carson City each legislative session before leaving again, a group of mule deer has taken root. It's an increasingly rare sight to see a herd of this size anywhere in the state and across the western US, and yet these mule deer have chosen the state capital as their year-round home. The impact of a harsh winter that killed 30 percent of the state's population of mule deer about 20 years ago is still being felt today, said Cody Schroeder, a big game biologist and mule deer specialist at the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). Ongoing drought conditions in already arid Nevada haven't helped, drying out some of the high-quality vegetation that mule deer need. Other threats to mule deer include grazing competition, invasive species, urban encroachment, changing climate, and healthier predators. 73