Mountain Lions

When a mountain lion has been treed by hunting dogs, the animal looks distinctly catlike: powerful, annoyed and, yes, bored. 

Whit Whitaker and other winter sportsmen have hunted mountain lions in the Roaring Fork River valley for decades, but until this week, a small triangle of land above Aspen has been off-limits. 

Earlier this month, three conservation organizations sued the federal government over a plan to kill bears and mountain lions near Rifle.

Last week, the federal agency Wildlife Services agreed to temporarily stop killing animals in a controversial "predator control plan" near Rifle until officials complete a new environmental assessment of the project.

Mountain lion activity on the Rio Grande Trail near the Aspen Airport Business Center has Pitkin County officials on alert.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) commission yesterday unanimously approved an experimental study to kill black bears and mountain lions in the Piceance Basin near Rifle.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) commission meets Wednesday to decide whether to kill more mountain lions and black bears near Rifle.

This fall, as thousands of hunters head into the Roaring Fork Valley’s backcountry, they may find more mountain lions, but fewer elk. Environment reporter Elizabeth Stewart-Severy has the details of this year’s hunting landscape.

Mule deer may seem ubiquitous in the Roaring Fork Valley, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife say numbers of the species are below its target in some key areas near Rifle. The state agency plans to kill mountain lions and bears in an effort to help grow the deer population.

Three mountain lion kittens that had been hanging out on the Rio Grande Trail near Carbondale have moved on - in one way or another.

Bear activity closed campgrounds, a moose charged a woman and her dog, and three mountain lion kittens were spotted along the Rio Grande trail — all in one day earlier this summer. Perry Will, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), said days like this are becoming the new norm.

Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

There is a primary election this month among three candidates for Pitkin County commissioner. In a forum held this week, accusations flew from one candidate to another about conflicts of interest.

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/columnist/171422

Housing, open space dominate 'Squirm Night'

Wildlife experts confirmed Monday which mountain lion was involved in last week’s attack on a child in Woody Creek.

The Naturalist Nights speaker series is put on by the Wilderness Workshop and the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. This year’s series started with controversy when presentations on wolves and mountain lions at the Third Street Center in Carbondale turned contentious.