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September 2014
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SPOTLIGHT
Dougherty Valley/ San Ramon Rotary Club Presents: Veteran’s Victory Velo and Hopfest
Saturday, September 20, 2014 2600 Camino Ramon San Ramon, California Starting in 2014, the Dougherty Valley/ San Ramon Rotary Club is joining forces with Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation, to host two of the most significant local
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Construction will soon be complete on the beautiful new section of the San Francisco Bay Trail that follows part of the Carquinez Scenic Drive and will be open to pedestrians, equestrians and bicycle riders. East Bay Regional Parks has brought the area up to multi-use trail standards. See story on page 6
Meet the Columbian Black-tailed Deer By James Hale
The Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), our local subspecies of the Mule Deer, is an abundant, widespread, and frequently encountered wildlife species found throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Most residents have seen deer in parks, open space, meadows, golf courses, and the yards of our homes where they find habitat with the three basic needs of food, water, and cover. Research suggests that in many East Bay suburban and urban neighborhoods, the home ranges and territories for deer are only a few square blocks, as our horticultural plantings provide an ample supply of food. When startled, the bouncing gait of a deer as it lands on all four legs simultaneously, known as stotting or pronking, is characteristic as it
eludes potential threats. This characteristic and fascinating gait allows the deer to move safely and rapidly across and over many obstacles that it may encounter in its complex and varied habitat. Deer also walk, trot, and gallop, often stopping for a last look at what disturbed it before retreating to safety. The Black-tailed Deer is primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, active at dusk, dawn, and night. In higher altitudes, deer migrate to lower elevations during winter to avoid snow and inclement weather. Large mule-like ears, a white rump patch, an almost fully black tail, with dark forehead and lateral nose s p o t s t h a t c o n t ra s t w i t h
the seasonally variable tan, reddish or dark gray pelage, are distinctive to the Columbian Black-tailed Deer subspecies. The throat and inside of the legs are white year-round. The metatarsal glands on the outside of the lower hindlegs, used by bucks for territorial markings, are 4
This month’s Special Section:
to 6 inches long. Bucks sport fairly heavy, upswept antlers that are equally branched into forked tines. It was these antler tines or tips that were highly valued by Native Americans for pressure flaking obsidian, chert, basalt, and other
Fall home and Garden pages 7-9
See DEER page 15