Lions&Prions&Deer Figure 1. Mule deer survival and population trends at Table Mesa. (A) Survival of prion-infected and uninfected mule deer, 2005–2007. (B) Mule deer population trends, 1987–2007, reflecting declines in both estimated population size (black diamonds, bars 695% confidence interval) and mean daily counts (gray diamonds) that coincided with emergence of prion disease during the same period; 1987–2001 data provided by the City of Boulder. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004019.g001 Materials and Methods Study area The ,23 km2 ‘‘Table Mesa’’ study area in Boulder, Colorado, USA included low-elevation (1,660–2,050 m) mule deer range at an urban-open space interface including private and public lands (City of Boulder Open Space and Mesa Parks) bounded by Baseline Road on the north, Colorado Highway 93 on the east, South Boulder Creek on the south, and the Flatiron Mountain front to the west. Our study area encompassed native habitats and urban landscapes developed within those habitats, best characterized as mountain shrub habitat interspersed with mixed forb and grassland openings and timbered patches dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Mule deer lived throughout the study area, often close to human dwellings. PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 3 December 2008 | Volume 3 | Issue 12 | e4019