Wildlife researcher Ellie Bolas reveals the private lives of local mule deer—see her recorded presentation

Published by Anne Russell on 07/31/202507/31/2025

Ellie Bolas watching for mule deer.

Wildlife ecologist Ellie Bolas shared discoveries from ongoing research, conducted in partnership with the National Park Service, about mule deer in the Santa Monica Mountains and Conejo Valley as COSF’s third Speaker Series presentation of 2025 on July 9.

Bolas’ focus is on the impact of human-caused disturbance to the deer’s habit, including wildfire. She notes that our native mule deer are both ecologically important as the primary prey of mountain lions and economically significant as a favorite target of hunters.

Bolas is looking forward to adding the Palisades and Franklin Fire zones to her study to find out how deer cope in newly burned open space. “Some studies suggest burned areas are attractive to deer because of the plant regrowth,” she says.

 Bolas says she is also optimistic about the benefits of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing’s completion for supporting ecological connectivity for multiple species, including mule deer.

For more information about this collaborative research between Ellie and her NPS partners, visit: https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/nature/mule-deer.htm.