Tulelake/Butte Valley Chapter
Serving Siskiyou, Modoc and Lassen Counties

In the photo are Front Row from left to right: Rennie Cleland, Aaron Freitas, Jason Brown, Bernie Guthrie. Back Row from left to right: Heath Wright, Bob Guthrie, Donnie Brown, Ben DuVal.

Members of the newly formed Tulelake/Butte Valley Chapter have been very concerned with an area on Highway 139 south of Tulelake that has had a high deer/vehicle collision rate. This area has been known by the local sportsmen and Caltrans as to be a trouble area for deer mortality due and the winter of 2008/2009 was especially troubling.

In January of 2008 northern Modoc County received several feet of snow during a one week period. As a result, hundreds of mule deer began using an area south of Tulelake, California along Highway 139. During his daily patrol on January 15th, Game Warden Aaron Freitas discovered that 15 deer had been hit during the night in a 5 mile stretch of highway. Freitas spent the rest of his patrol day keeping the deer off of the road. With the help of the local Cal-Trans and CHP, electronic message sings were placed on both the north and south ends of the stretch of highway where the deer had been hit. The signs were very successful in warning drivers to slow down and watch for deer but during the following 5 weeks approximately 100 deer had been killed. Feeling that a plan for future winters should be put in place, Freitas contacted the California Deer Association. With the help of CDA and Cal-Trans, a plan has been now put in place to prevent future deer loss. Freitas talked to CDA’s Pat Fitzmorris, who had been helping start the new Tulelake/Butte Valley chapter, about building some permanent signs to help warn drivers about deer on the highway.

With the help of the newly formed committee two signs were built. Committee members Jason and Donnie Brown designed the signs and with the help of committee members Bernie and Bob Guthrie, Heath Wright (chapter chairman), Rennie Cleland, and Aaron Freitas, the signs were installed on New Years day of 2009.

The local chapter was proactive in finding a solution to this problem area and CalTrans has agreed to help the CDA in finding a long-term solution along this stretch of highway. Thank you Tulelake/Butte Valley Chapter!