By Greg Dunne

April 28, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) --  My friend, David Hart, and myself went on a long and strenuous six-hour but fun hike of all five peaks at Mission Trails Regional Park on Wednesday. We enjoyed seeing many of nature’s wild life. Mule Deer, Red Diamondback Rattlesnake (always be aware of rattlesnakes this time of year), a Gopher Snake, (the gopher snake I befriended and then let him back on his way), and even a Jerusalem Cricket.

March 13, 2013 (Jamul) -- Debbie Ekhaml caught the action as twin fawns leaped across a meadow in an ecological preserve in Jamul.  Who knew that Bambi could jump so high--nearly resembling a kangaroo at times?

"I have many pictures of them with the doe, but like them jumping the best," wrote Ekhaml, who declined to disclose the precise location in order to protect the deer from hunters.

December 29, 2012 (Cuyamaca) -- While driving through Rancho Cuyamaca State Park last week, ECM editor Miriam Raftery spotted several groups of deer grazing in the sun-dappled woods, including this doe, which paused to pose for a picture-perfect moment.

The best time to see deer is in the last hour before sundown; this photo was taken shortly before 4 p.m. just two days after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

• Radiation from Japan disaster found along California coast (ABC)
• If California taxpayers paid up, state’s deficit would disappear (Sacramento Bee)
• High-stakes vote nears in California water waters (KPBS)
• California deer population declines as habitat disappears (Sacramento Bee)

• La Mesa, El Cajon to get armored vehicle (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Program to help chronically homeless showing results (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Abandoned orchards must be monitored for pests (Sacramento Bee)
• 15-year-old Santana High School student injured in crash awakens from coma (Santee Patch)
• U.S. says beware of ads placed by drug smugglers (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• El Cajon City Council fills vacancy (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa home prices trending up (La Mesa Today)
• Feds misled by SoCal Edison on San Onofre changes, group says (KPBS) 

By Miriam Raftery

March 14, 2012 (El Cajon)--Students at Grossmont College may be surprised to see who's hanging out just off campus.  ECM editor Miriam Raftery spotted these deer grazing on a sunny slope adjacent to the community college.

April 16, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wants to remind people not to handle young wild animals. The improper handling of young wildlife is a problem in California and across the nation, most commonly in the spring, when many species are caring for their offspring.

People often encounter young wild animals that they believe need help or have been orphaned. However, in most cases neither assumption is true. In 2009, 537 fawns were turned into California rehabilitation facilities by well-meaning members of the public. Many were healthy and should not have been disturbed, since this can cause the animal lto lose its ability to survive in the wild.

By Joan Casanova, Green Earth Media Group

October 13, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- With fall and winter right on our heels, you may think you’re out of the woods when it comes to deer damage in your backyard landscapes. Wrong. Actually, fall and winter mark the beginning of the worst seasons for deer damage. Deer will eat just about anything in the winter -- their food supply is low and they can’t be choosy. They are hungry enough in the winter to eat vegetation that they ordinarily would not eat.