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Tag: Mountain Lions

Activists still trying to influence CPW over mountain lion hunting, despite ballot box loss
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Activists still trying to influence CPW over mountain lion hunting, despite ballot box loss

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Even after voters rejected a ban on mountain lion hunting, people that supported the ban are continuing to try to influence Colorado wildlife officials into implementing many of the measures that voters rejected in Prop. 127 during the CPW rulemaking and hearings  process. CPW regularly evaluates and updates their data concerning the number of lions that are in specific areas of the state, in order to fulfill the mission of the agency to manage lions for sustainable populations and strike a balance in apex predator and prey numbers, insuring that the prey species are not decimated while maintaining robust lion populations. As a result of the newest studies, a new Eastern Colorado plan was needed, because the previous on...
Amid opposition to newly approved mountain lion plan, CPW commission urges respect for employees
State, The Colorado Sun

Amid opposition to newly approved mountain lion plan, CPW commission urges respect for employees

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Colorado Parks and Wildlife employees can’t catch a break when it comes to their work on wolf reintroduction or the management of mountain lions.  And that can’t be good for their health, members of the Parks and Wildlife Commission say, or their bandwidth to manage the other 950-plus wildlife species in Colorado.  “I feel sorry for the people in this agency that are working on some of this,” said Marie Haskett, who represents outfitters on the commission, referring to CPW’s rocky first year of wolf reintroduction. “We put a tremendous amount of hours and a tremendous amount of pressure on them for everything we do. You can see it in every one of their faces.”  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Mountain lion shot and killed at elementary school in Colorado
Local, Out There Colorado

Mountain lion shot and killed at elementary school in Colorado

By Spencer McKee | Out There Colorado A scary situation unfolded at a Colorado school on the morning of November 8 that involved a police officer shooting and killing a mountain lion. According to a report on the situation, officers initially responded to a report of a mountain lion on the grounds of Greeley's Madison K8 school. Given that the predator was in close proximity of students and families, a 'Secure Perimeter' status was issued, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the building. While the Greeley Police Department was working closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to manage the incident, staff of the state agency were said to have an "extended arrival time." READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
Browning: Prop. 127 is ballot box biology gone wild and Mesa County wisely stood against it
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Browning: Prop. 127 is ballot box biology gone wild and Mesa County wisely stood against it

By Lindy Browning | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Prop 127, a ballot initiative brought through the efforts of an extreme animal rights activist group, Cats aren’t Trophies (CATs) is a slap in the face to wildlife experts at Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). It’s also exploitation through deception for voters who love wildlife. Western Colorado voters know that wildlife management is critical to healthy ecosystems and healthy and diverse wildlife populations. Once again, Western Colorado is leading the way.  On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Mesa County commissioners stood for all 900 species of wildlife in Colorado, stood for livestock growers and took a stand in supporting the experts and biologists at CPW. They passed a resolution opposing the ballot measure. Hitting the nail r...
Costello: The unintended consequences of Proposition 127
Commentary, State

Costello: The unintended consequences of Proposition 127

By Mike Costello | Commentary, Westword Coloradans, I’m writing to you from California, where mountain lion hunting is illegal because of ballot-box biology. The idea of saving mountain lions and bobcats feels noble. They are magnificent critters, and supremely effective at making a living on the landscape (killing prey). We all love wild landscapes filled with diverse wildlife, including elusive and sometimes scary apex predators. While revered and respected for millennia, it is also true that humans have hunted, harvested and managed these animals as part of our own participation in the natural world. I call upon you: Do NOT abandon what works for wildlife in your great state. Ecosystems are incredibly complex, while Proposition 127 is a blunt-force solution for a problem that does...