Coastal sage scrub heavily infested with non-native annual grasses on one side of road, non-native grassland on the other. Land on both sides of the road is managed by California Department of Fish and Game. See in the photo that the road is lined with chain-link fence approximately 2 m from the traffic lane, on both sides. There are ocassional gaps where the fence is broken, that allow animals such as deer and coyotes to get onto the roadway. Once there, they are trapped in close proximity to traffic until they either find a breach in the fence that allows them to get out, or are killed. Professional wildlife managers have repeatedly suggested to CDFG personnel that they include structures in the fence to allow animals to escape the traffic and pass through the fence, but their suggestions have been ignored. CDFG recently replaced much of the fence with new woven wire, and did not include structures to facilitate wildlife passage.
Observation ID: 54706
Condition
Dead
Animal
Mule (or Black tailed) Deer
Identification Confidence
100% certain
Observation Date / Time
Observer
John Martin
Travel Frequency
daily
Estimated Time Since Impact
definitely less than 24 hours
Roadway Speed Limit
55 mph
Road Type
state / rural highway
Location Description
Campo Road