Living with Mountain Lions

California-based and globally-working wild cat conservationist Zara McDonald, Executive Director of Felidae Conservation Fund, will give an engaging and inspiring presentation about mountain lions and the work currently underway to study and protect them. Felidae Conservation Fund is a non-profit that aims to advance the conservation of wild cats and their habitats planetwide through a combination of groundbreaking research, compelling education and cutting-edge technology. Felidae's local project is the Bay Area Puma Project-the first large scale research, education and conservation program for mountain lions in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. These keystone predators (also called pumas and cougars) play a critical role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of our ecosystems. However, expansion of human populations is causing increasing encounters and conflicts between humans and pumas, and growing tensions in our local communities. Zara will discuss mountain lion ecology and history, the challenges of sharing the habitat with mountain lions, and will offer essential tips for living and recreating without fear in puma habitat.

Speaker: Ally Nauer, Felidae Conservation Fund