The ESLT has been working for over five years to maintain a viable migration corridor for the Round Valley deer herd and other wildlife where it passes through the rapidly growing community of Swall Meadows. The corridor narrows down to only about one mile wide in Swall Meadows, funneling thousands of animals through a very small bottleneck. The future of this mule deer herd is teetering between slow demise and continuing health and viability. Over-development and its byproducts – houses, roads, lights, dogs, noise, weeds – causes fragmentation of critical habitat and could cut off a migration route that these deer have been using for centuries. You can help!

To balance the needs of people and wildlife, the ESLT has been working with landowners who want to permanently protect the critical habitat on their land. With voluntary land protection agreements, these landowners are providing permanent protection for important lands by restricting subdivision and development, while keeping their land private and under their control. So far, we have protected 62 acres in the migration corridor and we have the opportunity to assist more landowners.

Because development pressure is stronger than ever, we need to act now to ensure permanent safe passage for migrating wildlife. Once houses are built, roads are paved, and fences are erected, the open land needed by wildlife is gone forever. And it’s not only mule deer – many species depend on this route to get to breeding grounds and other habitats in the high Sierra including mountain lions, songbirds, birds of prey, butterflies, and 16 species of bats. There are also many resident species such as gray fox, bobcat, long tailed weasel, lizards, skinks, and snakes (33 species of reptiles and amphibians).