Wildlife conservationists are calling for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to veto House Bill 469, which would allow year-round cougar hunting in the state.

During one of the bill's final readings, Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, introduced a provision to remove the state's current requirement to carry a cougar hunting permit to hunt and kill the large cats.

Kirk Robinson, founder and executive director of the Western Wildlife Conservancy, said the bill is concerning because Utah already kills more cougars each year than almost any other state. Robinson reported in the 2021-2022 hunting season, 753 cougars were killed out of the roughly 2,500 accounted for by the state's Division of Wildlife Resources.

"Why are we killing so many in the first place?" Robinson asked. "Which makes the question: Why would we have a change in the law to allow even more killings?"

Robinson argued the bill has garnered support because some people believe cougars are responsible for the struggling Utah deer population and also cause public safety concerns. While Robinson recognizes human-cougar encounters have increased in recent years, he argued the bill is "scientifically uninformed and ethically fraught," and killing so many cougars upsets the ecological balance.

In addition to the impact the bill could have on Utah's cougar population, Robinson claimed the way the provision was introduced was "sneaky" and called it a "horrible way to run government." He pointed out if the law were to be enacted, it would remove cougar management from the purview of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and put it in the hands of the Utah Wildlife Board, which is managed by hunters and livestock producers.

Robinson emphasized research has shown there is a correlation between heavy hunting and more conflict incidents, including predation on livestock and encounters with people.

"Why would that be so if killing cougars really does prevent or mitigate conflict? When you take out the dominant males from a cougar population, there are a lot more young cougars," Robinson explained. "They don't have fixed home ranges, and they're not good hunters."

Robinson stressed cougars play a crucial role in stabilizing ecosystems. He added even if the bill is vetoed, the number of cougars being killed needs to come down as it currently sits at two and a half times the recommended amount.


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Nevadans will have the opportunity to learn more and weigh in on a proposed public lands rule that shifts the Bureau of Land Management's focus to prioritize wildlife conservation and protecting cultural resources. Tomorrow, the B-L-M invites the public to an in-person meeting
in Reno to better understand the proposal.

Russell Kuhlman, Executive Director for the Nevada Wildlife Federation, said the measure would help the agency put conservation efforts "on par and act as a balance," with recreational and commercial uses of public lands such as grazing, energy development and camping.

"The land is not built for continuous extraction without some conservation in order to make it sustainable, and what this conservation ruling does is hopefully take a big step in that direction," he said.

Kuhlman contended the B-L-M is "getting pulled in a lot of different directions because of the scope of work they're required to do." He says the proposed rule could "open the door," he said, for conservation groups to help out potentially underfunded and understaffed B-L-M offices, and aid in habitat rehabilitation.

Kuhlman added the proposed rule adds "another tool box within the conservation community," and takes what he calls a "proactive, boots on the ground approach," to help prevent further habitat degradation. The agency says if they receive an application for a conservation lease that conflicts with an existing grazing permit or lease, that conservation lease would not be approved. Kuhlman said the proposal
aims to level the playing field for the various uses taking place on public lands.

"There are some questions out there from different stakeholders and what they're concerned about is, is this conservation ruling going to be a tool to eliminate grazing or prevent energy resource development from happening on public lands. And that is not the case. "

Kuhlman says he is "excited" about the conservation ruling. He says it could help mitigate the degradation the sagebrush sea is experiencing. According to the agency roughly one-point-three million acres of sagebrush are degraded annually. In addition to tomorrow's meeting, the B-L-M will also hold a virtual meeting on the proposal on Monday, June 5th.

Critical Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat has been degraded by a 2019 U.S. Forest Service decision to allow more than 17,000 livestock to graze in Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin, according to a new report.

John Carter, ecologist for the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection and the report's co-author, said 84% of the area is designated as having a wildlife emphasis in the Forest Plan.

"The area that this decision covers places a priority on wildlife," Carter explained. "But what we have in reality is a livestock emphasis, with wildlife way down in the order of priorities, as far as any evidence we've seen."

The Forest Service decided to put cattle in the project area even though it is where more than half of all grizzly deaths in western Wyoming happened between 2010 and 2014. All were due to conflicts with cattle. Grizzlies are classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The agency has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Forest Service is not following the best scientific practices for managing livestock grazing, according to the report, which found a significant decline in the forage plants that should be present. A single adult cow and calf can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, due to added hormones and antibiotics, but Carter pointed out the agency's stocking rate assumes the total weight is just 1,000 pounds.

"When in reality, they weigh double that, and they're consuming double the rate that the Forest Service is claiming when they are calculating a stocking rate," Carter contended. "You've got some very basic fundamentals that are being glossed over in order to perpetuate the status quo."

The Forest Service is supposed to manage publicly-owned resources for long-term sustainability, but Carter argued there has been a gradual decline over time. He added laws passed in the 1960s and 70s to protect watersheds from overgrazing and logging have been weakened by industry lobbyists.

"Basically, you've got a system set up where the industry is essentially in control of the agency," Carter stressed. "It's called 'regulatory capture,' and so the public really is out of the loop here."


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New funding recently added to the Colorado Wildlife Safe Passages Fund could provide relief for mule deer and elk populations, which are on the decline in Colorado, home to several of the largest herds in the U.S.

Tony Cady, Region 5 planning and environmental manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said there are an estimated 14,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions each year, at a cost of $80 million to the state's economy. More wildlife are killed through collisions with motorists than during hunting harvests.

"So, it's a problem we need to tackle," Cady contended. "This money will allow us to address wildlife crossings and wildlife vehicle collision mitigation projects in those key corridors around the state where we're seeing the greatest need."

The $500,000 in funding is part of the Colorado state budget recently signed by Gov. Jared Polis. The allotment will be used as the state's local match necessary to leverage federal grants made possible through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including $350 million available in the law's Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program.

Colorado has been a national leader in mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions, and has built 64 crossing structures -- including bridges, culverts or tunnels -- even under tight transportation budgets. Cady pointed to a recently completed project on Highway 9 between Kremmling and Green Mountain Reservoir.

"Over a two-year period we documented several hundred thousand animal movements, and it resulted in a 92% reduction in crashes with wildlife, and a 90% reduction in the carcasses removed," Cady outlined. "They are highly effective."

Cady noted there are hundreds of crossings still needed across the state to restore historic migration corridors, and the Colorado Department of Transportation has prioritized 25 strategic projects it wants to complete within the next decade.

Cady added, given the state's extensive network of highways and roads, animals have to make multiple crossings in their seasonal migrations to access food and shelter.

"And every time they cross the road or have to jump a fence, that creates a hazard to them, and to motorists using the roadways," Cady explained. "Providing these safe passages allows them to connect to those critical habitats, while also providing safety for the traveling public."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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