By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News
The 10-year plan to manage mountain lions east of the Continental Divide was adopted unanimously by the 10 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission members last week.
The plan used months of research and public hearings to inform its measures and echoes the similar successful development of the West Slope mountain lion management plan, which was approved in 2020. CPW recently published results from a study of West Slope mountain lions and found that the big cats’ population density is equal to or greater than the density projections used for making harvest decisions.
“Mountain lions in Colorado have historically been managed on smaller, localized scales – similar to the management of Colorado’s deer and elk,” CPW explained in a release. “Current scientific research, however, shows that managing mountain lions on a broader landscape scale is more appropriate and effective.”