2021-08-26: Update
Utah Wildlife Board approves excessive 2021-22 hunt recommendations
Utah’s newly approved hunting targets for mountain lions are excessive and unsustainable, according to an analysis by conservation advocates. The Utah Wildlife Board voted Thursday to allow unlimited cougar hunting in most of the state, and to place harvest limits elsewhere. During the 2020-21 cougar hunting season, a record 702 kills by hunters and Wildlife Services were reported by the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
Under the plan, 33 of the 53 cougar hunting units will allow unlimited year-round harvest and have a goal of >40% female harvest. For the remaining 20 cougar hunt units, DWR recommended that hunters be permitted to kill up to 297 cougars. The policy allows a single hunter to kill up to 2 cougars per year, but does not allow the killing of cougars that have been collared by researchers statewide.
Speak Up for Utah’s Cougars!
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has released their cougar hunt recommendations for the upcoming season. If you live in Utah, please attend the Wildlife Board meeting on August 26, 2021 to give your feedback on their recommendations. You can also submit written comment to the Wildlife Board. The deadlines for comment and meeting schedule are posted below.
To submit your comments, visit: https://wildlife.utah.gov/agendas-materials-minutes.html:
- Commenting instructions:
- Click on “Proposals: Share your feedback”
- Select the Wildlife Board to send comments to the members
- Scroll down to the 2021-22 Cougar Recommendations and watch the video
- Click on “I have watched this presentation and would like to give feedback.”
- Check on your position and include comments in the box titled, “Do you have any additional comments about these recommendations?”
- Lastly, scroll down to “Contact Information” and complete the required fields to submit.
Wildlife Board meeting schedule:
Utah Wildlife Board meeting: Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. MDT (Written comments must be submitted by Aug. 19 at 11:59 p.m. MDT)
Location: 1594 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Patrick Lendrum is the Senior Science Specialist for World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Northern Great Plains (NGP) Program. He leads the development of science priorities for the program, implementing projects to answer key scientific questions that address the loss of native grasslands and the impacts that these losses may have on the wildlife and human communities that depend on them. Patrick also oversees the measurement of progress toward the NGP Program’s conservation goals and partnerships with a variety of stakeholders in order to develop shared conservation solutions.
Prior to joining WWF Patrick earned his M.S. and Ph.D. examining the effects of human-caused land use change on wildlife communities and ways to minimize disturbance while promoting sustainable development. He has worked across the western US in a variety of habitats spanning costal rainforests to prairie grasslands, with species ranging from insects to grizzly bears. Patrick has partnered with State, Federal, Private, and NGO entities to build large-scale collaborations in diverse working landscapes. The research Patrick has been involved with has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, BBC documentaries, and published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles. He is thrilled to now be conducting applied science that contributes towards WWF’s mission of securing a future that meets the needs of humans and nature.
