At the end of last week there was good news regarding the return of protections to segments of the grey wolf population. Those with political power had yet again shown their willingness to use wildlife as pawns in ever more antagonistic battles on both the state and the national stages.
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DeptInterior.jpg8001200thecougarfundhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngthecougarfund2022-02-11 11:30:062022-10-03 21:13:41Following the money
https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/a-mountain-lion-followed-a-hiker-so-he-charged-it/ Apex predators are thus named, because as adults they rarely face a natural competitor-except man. As with all living things their purpose is to survive and procreate. Food and the search for it is the most basic driver and there is a trigger that occurs with many predators that is called the ‘prey response’. […]
https://www.sonomanews.com/article/news/the-hidden-lives-of-sonoma-valley-mountain-lions/?artslide=3 Sonoma Valley in Northern California is looking to its neighbors in Southern California for inspiration on how to keep their mountain lion population from becoming fragmented and inbred. Fragmentation and isolation occurs when populations of mountain lions are kept apart from each other and can not physically meet up and breed. In Southern California, […]
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png00thecougarfundhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngthecougarfund2022-02-09 12:08:262022-02-09 12:08:26Sonoma Valley Lions
The Cougar Fund was started 22 years ago by visionaries, Tom Mangelsen and Cara Blessley Lowe. They had been inspired by the extraordinary experience of being able to witness a female mountain lion and her three kittens. Upon realizing how little people really knew about lions they turned that inspiration into action. Tom and Cara […]
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png00Pennyhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngPenny2022-02-09 09:30:482022-10-03 21:12:41Our message in a nutshell!
https://www.thegazette.com/guest-columnists/its-time-to-protect-iowas-rare-but-returning-native-carnivores/ The return of puma concolor to historic home range has been long and arduous, complicated by fear, lack of knowledge, and the ever present fallacy that they are competitors for optimal ungulate production, the financial lifeblood of most western wildlife agencies. As dispersers-usually males, looking for love in the loneliest of lion places-move out […]
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png00Pennyhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngPenny2022-02-08 13:22:432022-10-03 21:15:26IOWA Legislator brings forward thinking Bill to aid mountain lion recovery
https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/film-debut-the-secret-world-of-mountain-lions-film-premiers-in-missoula/article_342f6c5f-8381-5766-948f-4642c0d5e9a2.html The Secret World of Mountain Lions, a film by Missoula filmmaker Colin Ruggiero, will premiere in Missoula on February 27, 2022. The film relies solely on footage captured by trail cameras, collected over more than a decade, on the MPG Ranch and surrounding areas. The cameras are part of a unique non-invasive mountain lion […]
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png00thecougarfundhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngthecougarfund2022-02-08 11:01:442022-10-03 21:18:23Taking a Look Inside a Secret World
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/bill-to-ban-sport-hunting-of-wildcats-fails-after-a-three-hour-hearing-state-senate/article_700d9e9c-852e-11ec-ac9b-df8f0c206495.html Colorado lawmakers in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted against Senate Bill 31, which would have prohibited the sport hunting of mountain lions, lynx, and bobcats in the state. Very vocal opponents to the bill, including many ranchers, hunters, and outfitters, vehemently objected to the measure and flooded lawmakers’ inboxes with comments. […]
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png00thecougarfundhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngthecougarfund2022-02-08 10:57:172022-10-03 21:17:14Colorado Legislature Rejects Bill that would End Killing Wild Cats for Sport
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/31/1076895942/for-the-first-time-the-u-s-allocates-big-money-for-animal-road-crossings Although wildlife crossings have been a priority in some states for a while, for the first time, the federal government is including considerable funding for wildlife crossings in the new infrastructure bill. The first major project planned for spending this money will be in one of the largest and busiest cities in the country. […]
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/southern-californias-mountain-lions-typically-avoid-residential-areas A recent mountain lion study in California highlights the big cats’ avoidance of urban and residential areas. Even though the Santa Monica Mountains cougars in the study lived in close proximity to Los Angeles, they only ventured into urban areas about 1% of the time. The study also found that they stayed much closer […]
Scientists and collaborative effort often bring together the most unexpected partners. From the wide open spaces of Wyoming, where the largest urban area is less than 100,000 people, the wildlife biologists of the University of Wyoming, led by Holly Ernest found that extensive fragmentation and encroachment of massive development and sprawl are having a critical impact on Southern California urban and coastal mountain lions.
https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WyomingCalifornia.jpg8001200thecougarfundhttps://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.pngthecougarfund2022-01-25 11:49:142022-10-03 21:21:45From Wyoming to California
Following the money
/in NewsAt the end of last week there was good news regarding the return of protections to segments of the grey wolf population. Those with political power had yet again shown their willingness to use wildlife as pawns in ever more antagonistic battles on both the state and the national stages.
Don’t Look Like Food!
/in Federal Policy, Newshttps://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/a-mountain-lion-followed-a-hiker-so-he-charged-it/ Apex predators are thus named, because as adults they rarely face a natural competitor-except man. As with all living things their purpose is to survive and procreate. Food and the search for it is the most basic driver and there is a trigger that occurs with many predators that is called the ‘prey response’. […]
Sonoma Valley Lions
/in Newshttps://www.sonomanews.com/article/news/the-hidden-lives-of-sonoma-valley-mountain-lions/?artslide=3 Sonoma Valley in Northern California is looking to its neighbors in Southern California for inspiration on how to keep their mountain lion population from becoming fragmented and inbred. Fragmentation and isolation occurs when populations of mountain lions are kept apart from each other and can not physically meet up and breed. In Southern California, […]
Our message in a nutshell!
/in News, ResearchThe Cougar Fund was started 22 years ago by visionaries, Tom Mangelsen and Cara Blessley Lowe. They had been inspired by the extraordinary experience of being able to witness a female mountain lion and her three kittens. Upon realizing how little people really knew about lions they turned that inspiration into action. Tom and Cara […]
IOWA Legislator brings forward thinking Bill to aid mountain lion recovery
/in Links, Newshttps://www.thegazette.com/guest-columnists/its-time-to-protect-iowas-rare-but-returning-native-carnivores/ The return of puma concolor to historic home range has been long and arduous, complicated by fear, lack of knowledge, and the ever present fallacy that they are competitors for optimal ungulate production, the financial lifeblood of most western wildlife agencies. As dispersers-usually males, looking for love in the loneliest of lion places-move out […]
Taking a Look Inside a Secret World
/in Links, Newshttps://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/film-debut-the-secret-world-of-mountain-lions-film-premiers-in-missoula/article_342f6c5f-8381-5766-948f-4642c0d5e9a2.html The Secret World of Mountain Lions, a film by Missoula filmmaker Colin Ruggiero, will premiere in Missoula on February 27, 2022. The film relies solely on footage captured by trail cameras, collected over more than a decade, on the MPG Ranch and surrounding areas. The cameras are part of a unique non-invasive mountain lion […]
Colorado Legislature Rejects Bill that would End Killing Wild Cats for Sport
/in Links, Policy, Newshttps://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/bill-to-ban-sport-hunting-of-wildcats-fails-after-a-three-hour-hearing-state-senate/article_700d9e9c-852e-11ec-ac9b-df8f0c206495.html Colorado lawmakers in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted against Senate Bill 31, which would have prohibited the sport hunting of mountain lions, lynx, and bobcats in the state. Very vocal opponents to the bill, including many ranchers, hunters, and outfitters, vehemently objected to the measure and flooded lawmakers’ inboxes with comments. […]
Cougars Crossing
/in Links, Newshttps://www.npr.org/2022/01/31/1076895942/for-the-first-time-the-u-s-allocates-big-money-for-animal-road-crossings Although wildlife crossings have been a priority in some states for a while, for the first time, the federal government is including considerable funding for wildlife crossings in the new infrastructure bill. The first major project planned for spending this money will be in one of the largest and busiest cities in the country. […]
Research Finds Cougars Avoid Humans even in Urban Settings
/in News, Researchhttps://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/southern-californias-mountain-lions-typically-avoid-residential-areas A recent mountain lion study in California highlights the big cats’ avoidance of urban and residential areas. Even though the Santa Monica Mountains cougars in the study lived in close proximity to Los Angeles, they only ventured into urban areas about 1% of the time. The study also found that they stayed much closer […]
From Wyoming to California
/in NewsScientists and collaborative effort often bring together the most unexpected partners. From the wide open spaces of Wyoming, where the largest urban area is less than 100,000 people, the wildlife biologists of the University of Wyoming, led by Holly Ernest found that extensive fragmentation and encroachment of massive development and sprawl are having a critical impact on Southern California urban and coastal mountain lions.