Wildlife - WFW - Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air & Rare Plants

What is A Million Bucks?

Million Bucks, originally conceived in 1989, is a partnership program that emphasizes management of National Forests and Grasslands to benefit deer and people’s enjoyment of deer. The basis of this program is the collaboration between the Forest Service and several partners, including the Mule Deer Foundation, Whitetails Unlimited, state agencies and other conservation groups towards conserving and restoring deer habitats to support healthy deer populations as well as recreational opportunities for the public.

Photograph by Dave Herr

Photograph. 3 mule deer on ridge in oregon. Taken by Dave Herr; USFS Find a Photo

Why is the Forest Service interested in A Million Bucks?

Millions of acres of deer habitat fall on National Forest System lands across North America. Although management of deer populations is the responsibility of the state fish and game agencies, the Forest Service contributes to deer conservation by managing the habitats upon which these deer depend. This contribution, primarily in the form of habitat restoration and conservation education, is significant due to the economic, recreational (e.g., hunting and viewing), and ecological roles deer play in our society and in environmental communities.

News

7th Annual Mule Deer Conservation Awards - Send in Nominations

In 2002, the Forest Service and The Mule Deer Foundation signed an MOU to re-emphasize the commitment of conserving and restoring mule deer and black-tailed deer habitats in the western United States. An important part of this commitment is the recognition of those districts or individuals that have demonstrated leadership and a high level of excellence in these endeavors. The Annual Mule Deer Conservation Award recognizes a Forest Service unit or individual(s) for an outstanding project or projects in the conservation of mule deer/black-tailed deer and their habitats.

The FY 2008 Mule Conservation Deer Award will be presented at the Mule Deer Foundation Annual Convention, February 5-8, 2009, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to be held in conjunction with the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo.

Nominations should be submitted electronically to Danielle Chi, Intermountain Region Wildlife Program Leader, via e-mail at dkchi"at"fs.fed.us. If you have any questions regarding the nomination process, please contact Danielle at (801) 625-5667.

6th Annual Mule Deer Conservation Award Recipient
Congratulations to Steve Blatt of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest! (2007)

Steve Blatt, Wasatch-Cache National Forest wildlife biologist, received the 6th annual Mule Deer Conservation Award!

This award was presented at the Mule Deer Foundation annual convention, February 8, 2008, in Salt Lake City, as part of the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. Steve was recognized for the Wellsville Wildlife Habitat Restoration/Enhancement Project, which included the acquisition of 603 acres of private property in the Wellsville Mountain range and restoration of critical deer summer and winter range. The project area overlapped the Cache Harvest Unit, which has a population objective for deer of 25,000, but a population estimated at only 13,200 deer. One of the factors contributing to the decline is the increasing encroachment of urban development into mule deer habitat. Through a partnership with the Forest Service, Mule Deer Foundation, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 107 acres of plowed, barren fields were restored and enhanced for wildlife habitat, in particular mule deer summer and winter habitat. The total planned area consisted of approximately 107 acres, but the fields are dispersed throughout the acquired property (603 acres) and many are adjacent to existing federal land, thus the affected area encompasses nearly 1000 acres.

Steve Blatt (center) receives award from Bill Burbridge,Mule Deer Foundation (left). Uinta National Forest Supervisor, Brian Ferebee is on the right.

Caption: Bill Burbridge of the Mule Deer Foundation awards Steve Blatt (center). Unita National Forest Supervisor, Brian Ferebee (left) joins in the support and celebration.

How Can You Help?

You can help by supporting management of habitats for deer and other wildlife that depend upon the National Forests and Grasslands. This can be done by providing funds to our partners supporting projects and programs that will directly benefit deer and their habitats, volunteering time on such projects, and expressing support for these activities and efforts in your community and more broadly.

MOUs/MOAs

General Biology and Species Information

Two species of deer, native to North America, live on National Forests and Grasslands: mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Within each species, there are regional variants that exhibit sufficient variability to warrant subspecies designation. These relatives include the Pacific coastal (or Columbian) blacktail (O. h. columbianus) and Sitka blacktail of Alaska (O. h. sitkensis) for mule deer and the southwestern Coues deer (O .v. covesi) and Florida Key deer (O. v. clavium) for whitetail deer. Read the book The Deer of North America or visit Whitetail.com for more information on the different deer species.