Tag: Mountain Lion Foundation

Arizona Game and Fish Commission votes to ban the use of trail cameras for aiding the take of wildlife

For immediate release

Date: June 11, 2021

Contact:
Debra Chase, CEO, Mountain Lion Foundation
DChase@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 103

Arizona Game and Fish Commission votes to ban the use of trail cameras for aiding the take of wildlife. 

Thanks to thousands of public comments and the 5-0 vote of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the use of trail cameras for aiding the take of wildlife (i.e. hunting) is prohibited in Arizona effective January 1, 2022.

Payson, AZ – On Friday, June 11, 2021, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted 5-0 to ban the use of trail cameras for aiding the take of wildlife after at least three years of debate, representing a win for Arizona’s mountain lions and 800-plus native wildlife species.

In 2018, Arizona voted to ban live action trail cameras, opening up a larger public debate about whether other types of trail cameras should be allowed. In December 2020, the Commission proposed a full ban on all trail cameras used for aiding the take of wildlife. In response to public comments, the Commission proposed an amended rule that would only prohibit trail cameras from July 1 to January 31, except within ¼ mile of a developed water source. On Friday, however, the Commission decided to approve the original, year-round ban instead of the amended seasonal ban.

“What this issue comes down to for me is the issue of fair chase,” said Commissioner Clay Hernandez from Tucson. “It comes down to a question of passive surveillance or active surveillance. If we are out scouting, glassing, hiking or shed hunting, we are out in the habitat and we are providing scent, movement, patterns and sound, all of which the animals we are seeking or scouting can make use of with their resources and instincts. If we are not out there and it is just a camera, we are silent. It is that that I don’t believe constitutes fair chase.”

In recent years, trail cameras have become a nuisance in Arizona and other states as more hunters use these devices to aid their pursuit of wildlife. Many recreationists report concerns about their personal privacy, while ranchers report disturbances to their cattle operations when cameras are placed near water sources. Additionally, the natural movement of wildlife species that rely on scarce water sources is interrupted when trail cameras are placed in the field and frequently checked.

“In all states where mountain lion hunting is allowed, hunters use many technologies and practices that give them an unfair advantage, such as hounds, electronic calls and trail cameras,” said Logan Christian, Region II Conservation Advocate for Mountain Lion Foundation. “This decision to ban trail camera use for aiding the take of wildlife is an important step towards improving fair chase hunting practices.”

The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2022. Trail cameras used for general wildlife photography, research, cattle management or any reason other than hunting will remain legal.

Founded in 1986, the Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approves 2022 hunt

For immediate release

Date :  June 11, 2021

Contact:  
Debra Chase, CEO, Mountain Lion Foundation
DChase@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 103

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approves 2022 hunt

Chadron, NE – On June 11, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission voted unanimously to approve a 2022 mountain lion hunt in the state’s Pine Ridge region. Nebraska’s mountain lion population in the region is far too small to sustain a hunt and permitting a hunt at all is overly aggressive, unsustainable, and jeopardizing their long-term viability.

As of 2019, the mountain lion population in the Pine Ridge was estimated at 34 individuals, including kittens. This number does not include the 11 lions killed in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. When you factor in lions removed by hunters, the population size dwindles to 23. If 2/3 of the population is of adult age, then the population proposed to be hunted is closer to 15 individuals. This estimate does not include lions that may have been killed by other sources of human-caused mortality.

“Allowing trophy hunters to target such a small population is poor management and is not supported by science,” stated Denise Peterson, Conservation Advocate for the Mountain Lion Foundation. She continued, “Mountain lions have only recently reclaimed this small portion of their former range. Permitting this hunt threatens their long-term survival in the state and is not supported by the majority of Nebraskans.”

We asked the Commission to stop the hunt to preserve the few mountain lions that remain in Nebraska. Despite our request, feedback from the public, and science that shows that hunting such a small population threatens its long-term viability, the hunt will move forward. However, our fight is not over. We will continue to our efforts in Nebraska until mountain lions are protected from poor management decisions such as this.

If you want to support our efforts or get involved in Nebraska, visit MountainLion.org.

Founded in 1986, the Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild.

Carmel Area State Parks adds over 1600 acres for mountain lions!

For immediate release

Date:  May 24, 2021

Contact:  Debra Chase, CEO, Mountain Lion Foundation
DChase@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 103

Carmel Area State Parks adds over 1600 acres for mountain lions! 

Thanks to public support and the 6-0 vote of the California Parks and Recreation Commission, we now have 1200 more acres in natural preserve for mountain lions!

Sacramento, CA –  On Friday, May 21, 2021, the California Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to approve the Carmel Area State Parks General Plan which included the creation of a New State Park consisting of 1604 acres which incorporates the Hatton Canyon and Point Lobos Ranch properties.

The New State Park will be called Ishxenta (Eesh-hen-ta) State Park, reflecting the original name given to the area from the Rumsen people whose presence substantially predates Spanish and Euro-Americans settlement.

Ishxenta State Park consists of two new Natural Preserves, recognizing the Point Lobos Ranch was purchased with Proposition 117 Mountain Lion Initiative funds. The Natural Preserve sub-classification is one of the highest levels of protection State Parks has for areas of special biological significance.

“Having worked on the Carmel Area State Park General Plan since 2012 it is exceptional to see some of California’s most unique and rare habitat types preserved for mountain lions and for the people of California,” stated Stephen Bachman, California Senior Park & Recreation Specialist.

“The Mountain Lion Foundation championed passage of Proposition 117 in 1990, which outlawed the sport hunting of mountain lions in California and also created the Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) to acquire, enhance, or restore specified types of lands for wildlife or open space,” said Debra Chase, CEO of the Mountain Lion Foundation, “It is great to see these funds being put to good use to protect critical mountain lion habitat.”

The Point Lobos Ranch Property preserves and protects a scenic, naturally sensitive, and culturally important landscape, including high-elevation vistas offering spectacular views of Carmel Bay and the coastline. The land supports one of the world’s largest intact native Monterey pine forests, globally significant populations of the rare Gowen cypress, and other rare maritime chaparral habitat.

“We are losing far too much lion habitat to human encroachment and habitat fragmentation, it is critically important that we are intentional in our conservation and preservation of biodiversity, particularly as we face the unknowns of climate change,” said Chris Bachman, Region 1 Conservation Advocate for the Mountain Lion Foundation.

  • The Point Lobos Ranch acquisition was purchased using Proposition 117 California Wildlife Protection Act Funds. As such the Proposition, Chapter 9, Article 1, (2780 (a)), emphasizes the protection, enhancement, and restoration of wildlife habitat. The proposition allows for “recreational use”. The Proposition recognized the urgent need to protect the rapidly disappearing wildlife habitats that support California’s unique and varied wildlife resources.
  • Section 2781 emphasizes the need to maintain state acquired lands in open space and natural conditions to protect significant environmental values of wildlife and native plant habitat, riparian and wetland areas, native oak woodlands.
  • Section 2786(b) specifically mentions the funds are to be used for the acquisition of habitat to protect rare, endangered, threatened or fully protected species.


Founded in 1986, the Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild.