Last month, the Mountain Lion Foundation had the opportunity to participate in the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the University of Oregon. Our team comprised a critical panel discussion titled “Right to Hunt: Impacts and Outcomes,” where we shared our ongoing work challenging legislation that threatens mountain lion populations. 

PIELC’s Enduring Mission and Record Attendance

The 2025 PIELC continued its 43-year tradition of connecting and educating those working within environmental law. With this year’s theme, “Environmental Justice in a Changing Landscape,” the conference maintained its commitment to addressing evolving challenges in environmental protection. The conference serves as a crucial forum for environmental advocates to share strategies, discuss emerging legal theories, and build coalitions around pressing environmental issues.

This year’s event saw record attendance with over 3,000 participants, reflecting growing national concern about environmental legislation and wildlife protection. This impressive turnout provided the Mountain Lion Foundation with an invaluable platform to connect with environmental attorneys, policy experts, and advocates who might not otherwise engage with carnivore conservation issues.

Educating New Audiences About Our Mission

The “Right to Hunt” panel allowed us to introduce our organization’s mission to a broader audience of environmental professionals. Many attendees were familiar with broader conservation issues but had limited exposure to the specific challenges facing mountain lions and other large carnivores. By bringing mountain lion protection into conversations about environmental law, we’re building essential relationships with legal professionals who can help safeguard these iconic carnivores.

During our presentation, we highlighted how mountain lions serve as an umbrella species for ecosystem health and why protecting them benefits entire landscapes. We emphasized how our multi-faceted approach—combining advocacy, education, scientific research, and coexistence programming—strives to create comprehensive protection for these magnificent cats.

The enthusiastic questions from attorneys, law students, peer organizations, and policy professionals demonstrated a growing interest in carnivore conservation among those who may become powerful allies in our cause.

Sharing Our Utah Lawsuit as a Case Study

A significant portion of our panel presentation focused on our ongoing lawsuit, in partnership with Western Wildlife Conservancy, challenging Utah’s House Bill 469. This legislation, which broadly expands hunting rights while undermining science-based wildlife management, represents exactly the kind of threat that requires both legal expertise and conservation knowledge to combat effectively.

By walking the audience through the legal arguments of our case—particularly how HB 469 violates public trust obligations and undermines Utah’s “Right to Hunt” law—we were able to demonstrate the real-world application of environmental law principles to carnivore conservation. Law students and early-career attorneys in attendance gained practical insights into how litigation can support wildlife protection.

Building a Coalition for Science-Based Management

The panel discussion reinforced our conviction that effective mountain lion conservation depends on building diverse coalitions. By bringing together perspectives from wildlife biology, conservation advocacy, and environmental law, we’re creating a more powerful voice for mountain lions.

What made this panel particularly effective was how it connected legal theories like the public trust doctrine directly to on-the-ground conservation challenges. When we bring mountain lion protection into these broader environmental discussions, we’re helping ensure that carnivore conservation becomes integrated into the environmental movement’s core concerns.

 Next Steps

The panel concluded with a discussion of potential nationwide implications of the Utah case. Regardless of outcome, this lawsuit represents a significant test case for balancing constitutional hunting provisions with public trust responsibilities and conservation imperatives. The next hearing happens in early April at the University of Utah Law School where we hope our case will find a large, interested audience of law students and media eager to know how our arguments and outcomes will impact Utah mountain lions and other similar challenges in the future throughout the country.