After Years of Legislative Advocacy, Vulnerable California Mountain Lions May Gain Critical Endangered Species Protections
SACRAMENTO – The California Fish and Game Commission will vote today to provide vulnerable mountain lions temporary endangered species status and move mountain lions one step closer to full endangered species status after urgent calls from key legislators emphasized that “[now] is the time to act to save these noble creatures.”
“These apex predators can’t afford another day without critical endangered species protections,” said Senator Henry Stern, Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. “As we learn to govern in the midst of a pandemic, we cannot let the efforts to prevent a mass extinction event fall by the wayside. Endangered species protections must be won, wildlife overpasses must still be built and deadly rodenticides must still be banned. Nature will not wait.”
If successful, the vote will formally advance the petition to list several mountain lion populations, including those in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains, as threatened under CESA, thereby initiating a full status review of the species and providing vital interim protections as a candidate species.
BACKGROUND
Today’s vote comes after months of advocacy for a comprehensive solution to prevent mountain lion extinction in California. On February 12, Senator Stern, Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Richard Bloom and Assemblymember Laura Friedman pushed CDFW to act in light of the death of P-56, one of only two known breeding male mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains. CDFW subsequently took control of the statewide mountain lion depredation process and promised an “all-inclusive strategy.”
The response from state officials stated that CDFW, the California Department of Transportation and the California Environmental Protection Agency “agree that an all-inclusive strategy is the best approach to combat any further degradation” of these mountain lions. In addition to that commitment, state officials announced in response to the letter the intention to hold today’s vote.
AB 1788, which is sponsored by Assemblymember Bloom, Senator Stern and Assemblymember Friedman and currently sits in the Senate Appropriations Committee, would heavily restrict the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in California. In addition, the Save LA Cougars campaign to build the Liberty Canyon wildlife overpass in the area where P-56 and other mountain lions have died has gained momentum in recent years.
The tragic passing of P-56, allowed by the issuance of a depredation permit from a local CDFW office, came after a number of high-profile mountain lion deaths in recent months. In March 2019, the mountain lion “P-47” died, likely succumbing to the rat poison. Two other mountain lions – “P-30” and “P-53” – also died in September and August 2019 respectively. Outside of intraspecies conflict, human activity, like the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and freeway traffic through habitat areas, is the predominant cause for mountain lion deaths.
##