Tribes get grant to study deer

Published Jan. 30, 2004

The Klamath Tribes have received a federal grant that will help them continue research on mule deer herds.

The $50,000 grant is part of $14 million in grants nationwide for tribes from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The grants, targeted to help with wildlife projects, were announced Tuesday.

Rick Ward, Tribes wildlife biologist, said the grant will be used to buy high tech Global Positioning System tracking collars and radio collars. He and other researchers will use the collars to track the migration of deer and try to figure a population estimate for them.

It is the start of what will be about a five-year project, he said.

To kept the project going, Ward said he is continually applying for grants. He couldn't estimate the overall cost of the project because it will be linked with how many grants the Tribes get.

The study is important because people only really started counting deer in the 20th century, he said. In that time there has been a boom and a boom, which concerns the Tribes.

"There is a long history between the Tribes and the deer," Ward said