Celebrating P-22’s Life

By Robin Parks, Field Representative

I was very pleased to represent the Mountain Lion Foundation at our booth during the big “P-22 Day” event Sunday, Oct 22 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. This was at least the 3rd time I’ve manned an information booth or assisted other MLF staffers and volunteers with booths and displays there. I was joined by two recently trained Coexistence Ambassadors, who got a chance to put their skills to use with the crowds.

This is a very important annual event, not just to honor and remember the legendary P-22 (this was the first such event since his passing), but to rally support for the cats in California and everywhere, to establish and refresh contacts with other organizations working for this cause, to recruit new Mountain Lion Foundation volunteers, and to generate interest and support from kids. The event organizers did that last part very well.

It was great to see friends and colleagues from the National Park Service, the Cougar Conservancy, LA County Nature Center folks, the National Wildlife Federation, and others.

At one point, the announcers at the event put out loud and clear that the terrible rodenticide “diphacinone” had just been banned in California. You should have heard the cheers!

To learn about opportunities to volunteer at events like this, sign up to become an advocate today!

Photo: National Wildlife Federation