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Vision for The Lives Education & & Deaths of Outreach 8

4Yellowstone’s Grizzlies 7Dedication Resolve

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE FUND • FALL 2014 ISSUE The Ethics of Killing Large 1 written by: Chris Genovali and Camilla | photos courtesy of: Thomas D. Mangelsen

he killing of large carnivores in In Ethics and the Environment, Dr. Dale Jamieson Tby means of trophy , whether for “sport” writes of the problematic nature of deciding or “management,” has been and continues to be a to “choose amoralism and opt out of morality. The source of noteworthy and unrelenting controversy. very ties that bind us to a society entangle us in a Interestingly, most of the furor appears to have little morality. Morality is ubiquitous; amoralists are rare.” to do with the conventional battlefield of left or right The compulsion to kill these intelligent, powerful ideology as the intensity of emotion attached to top and beautiful in order to “bag a trophy,” predators like , , and as opposed to simply observing and fully often transcends the simplistic bifurcated politics that experiencing an archetypal encounter of can mark such disputes. two inextricably linked , is something Both sides appear to be stuck in a continual expert- poll after poll on the grizzly hunt suggests driven argument in which each camp claims that sci- the average British Columbian ence supports their respective positions. Perhaps it is cannot fathom. time that the debate over the of large As Doug and Andrea Peacock carnivores in North America was also conducted have written in The Essen- within the context of ethical considerations, as the tial Grizzly: “The concur- present conflict will likely never transcend the inflex- rent colonization of North ible stances that are so deeply entrenched. America by brown bears and In his paper, Environmental ethics and trophy hunt- is a remarkable story. ing, Dr. Alastair Gunn states that “Nowhere in the Both men and grizzlies... (scientific) literature, so far as I am aware, is hunting lived together for thousands for fun, for the enjoyment of killing, or for the acqui- of , and perhaps traveled sition of trophies defended.” the same route south to the continental . For instance, many who are outspoken advocates of Genetic evidence indicates grizzly hunting in do not recog- a single invasion for both nize, or self-servingly choose not to recognize, that grizzlies and humans...” it is a moral matter. As such, they feign that hunting grizzlies is amoral when, in fact, it is not; perhaps, Grizzly bears and other large they are incapable of doing the moral calculus, carnivores are primarily pretending that the trivial value of trophy hunting shot and killed for strictly grizzlies somehow outweighs the much greater harm gratuitous reasons; they are done to the bears. targeted by trophy hunters The Ethics of Killing Large Carnivores (continued from cover)

to justify, the trophy hunting of large carnivores do not contain an intrinsic approval to do so. Echoing Garrett Hardin, Paquet points out that wildlife managers and conservation scientists can offer no technical solutions that will change values or ideas of morality. Paquet also contends, like Aldo Leopold, that we can advocate for a “land ethic” that embraces and the ecological functions and processes that link spe- cies with their environment. In Leopold’s own words, which have tangible links to the welfare of individuals and populations: “The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land- and guide outfitters for entertainment, sport or profit, not for food or and it affirms the right of all to continued existence. The extension of subsistence, with approval by government authorities who sanction ethics to land and to the animals and plants which is an evolutionary this activity as a legitimate “management tool.” possibility and an ecological necessity. In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to After spending millions of dollars recovering gray wolves in the plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-mem- Northern Rockies of the lower 48 states, Idaho and opened bers, and also respect for the community as such.” a trophy hunting season almost immediately after wolves were de- listed from protections under the Act in the fall Unfortunately, jurisdictions in both and the United States are of 2009. After Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” publicly stated saddled with a policy framework for wildlife conservation that is car- he wants to kill more than 80 percent of the state’s wolves, the state ried out within an artificial construct in which ethical considerations set an initial quota of approximately 250 wolves to be legally trophy simply do not exist and management is driven largely by values, at- hunted out of an estimated population of 1,000. The ensuing intense titudes and deeply held beliefs that are ensconced in the anachronistic controversy and suite of lawsuits aimed at stopping the trophy hunts North American Model that dates back to the and restoring federal protections for the species highlight the ethical early 1900’s. This narrow approach is primarily rooted in an agricul- and moral divide that lies at the center of large recovery and tural mindset, as opposed to an ecological one. conservation in North America. Large carnivores pose a threat not so much to human “life and prop- In addition to trophy hunts, wolves and coyotes are among the spe- erty,” but rather to human self-conceptualization. They challenge cies targeted in predator “derbies,” “tournaments,” and “contests” our imagined “rightful place” in the world, primarily our hegemony where prizes are awarded for the most and largest carnivores killed. over nature and its non-human inhabitants. It is this hegemonic Liberal hunting laws allow such carnage to occur and few agencies mindset that blocks us from extending ethical considerations to large or politicians are willing to speak to the ethics- or lack thereof- in carnivores and other wildlife, for instance, both in the way we govern such wanton abuse of wildlife. After mounting pressure from wildlife our society’s interactions with such animals and in how we wield advocates against “tournaments” in , Governor John power over them given our technologically-based supremacy (e.g., Baldacci recently declared the killing contests “inhumane” and “un- high-powered hunting rifles, jet boats, helicopters, etc.). acceptable” yet contest hunts continue because the laws allow them. To evolve our relationship with large carnivores and other wild Drs. Michael Nelson and Kelly Millenbah have stated in their recent animals in North America we could start by placing greater emphasis paper, The Ethics of Hunting, that “To the degree the wildlife com- on examining the ethics and morality of the very concept of hunting munity begins to take philosophy and ethics more seriously, both as for sport and entertainment, as opposed to elevating trivial values like a realm of expertise that can be acquired and as a critical dimension trophy hunting summit or apex predators above the welfare of the of wildlife conservation, many elements of wildlife conservation and animals themselves. management would look different.” Imagine a scenario in which wildlife managers, and the elected politicians they must answer to, were required to incorporate ethical considerations into the decision making process for wildlife man- agement. The debate over hunting carnivores would no longer be limited to metrics such as population estimates, kill quotas, harvest- Even though this article was written by Chris and Camilla in 2010, able surpluses and other strictly mechanistic arguments which lend their words have never been more appropriate. Cougars have always themselves to endless stalemates. been the target of ‘sport’ hunting, but since 2010, wolves have been delisted in the which allowed the states to very According to Raincoast Conservation Foundation senior scientist, quickly initiate an emotionally charged and controversial hunt. The Project Coyote science advisor, and former member of the BC gov- same fate awaits the iconic grizzly bears if they too lose the protection ernment’s grizzly scientific panel Dr. Paul Paquet, the fact that of the Endangered Spies Act. we can hunt large carnivores does not mean that we ought to hunt them. Further, while science provides information, it does not give us Sport hunting is simply NOT management… permission to do things. In other words, the aforementioned statistics that have been generated ostensibly to inform, but in actual practice Reprinted with permission of the authors. Where we are & Where we’re headed

Letter from the Managing Director, Penny Maldonado

One of the best parts of The Cougar Fund knows is and excited about predators kind of educational resource managing The Cougar Fund not biologically justifiable and the natural world. Jenny for their sport hunters. There is the thrill that I feel when I or necessary. spent many months in the is no excuse for this, and as am able to tell our supporters In addition to the field with Teton Cougar a result, several states have of the progress that we are extensive series of outreach Project. We have been responded positively to our making as we work so hard opportunities, we have also delighted to have her share call to rectify this situation. to fulfill our mission. developed a distributable her knowledge and practical We will let you know which Let me share with you details education program that experience with us in states decide to adopt a about the enormous expansion anyone, anywhere can developing this program. standard of responsibility for of our education and outreach. their hunters to know what It is only due to the generosity they are shooting. We hope of our donors that we were that we will be able to report able to hire a dedicated that every state is on board education and outreach with education in the near 3 coordinator (more about future. We hope this will, at Mike, in his own voice, least, help to protect the most elsewhere in this newsletter). vulnerable females and kittens. We have successfully given Traditionally success is more than forty presentations defined by the results that in the local area this summer. we can see, but it is often the Mike’s programs inform case that there is real work people from every corner going on behind the scenes. of the globe about large The Cougar Fund Board carnivores and their place is just one example of that in the world, biologically, dedication and diligence. ecologically, socially and Individually, our Board carries Education has not just philosophically. These request. This is in large part the message of cougar, bear been confined to children’s talks address how we can due to the generosity of The and conservation as programs. We have seen understand predators, how Humane Society Wildlife they go about their everyday we can co-exist safely with Land Trust and matching renewed interest from several lives making films, taking them, and how we can funds generously given by state wildlife agencies to photos, writing books, doing protect them. The Community Foundation institute solid identification research, protecting land, of Jackson Hole’s Old Bill’s resources that provide Mike explains the challenges or promoting peace. The Fun Run. We contracted information about gender and they face, not only from mission of The Cougar Fund with Cornell graduate Jenny age differences in cougars. loss and the effects has a much wider audience Fitzgerald to create the In the past , numerous of on their thanks to Tom Mangelsen, program and we are eager tragic events have occurred prey base, but also the Cara Blessley Lowe, Bob to begin distribution. If you where kittens have been Koons, Marc Bekoff, Dame continuing threat of cougar have an afterschool program, shot as trophies or mother Jane Goodall, Rick Hopkins, ‘management’. Old myths are a summer camp, a Boy or mountain have been Webb Blessley, John Swallow, hard to dispel. Sport hunting Girl Scout troop or any other killed, leaving their young Corey Ruttledge and Patricio of cougars does not make regular venue where children to starve or be eaten by Robles. Their hard work and you safer, it does not improve meet, don’t hesitate to contact another . sound direction inspires us and numbers, and it us. We will send you this easy- leads us forward. does not reduce conflict or to-teach modular program, There are thirteen states that depredation. packed full with activities and currently allow the sport It is nothing more than what games to get your students, hunting of cougars. Only it is called: a ‘sport’; one that campers, or children interested eight of these states have any The Lives & Deaths of Yellowstone’s Grizzlies

Originally published in Prairie Fire August 11, 2014 written by: Paul A. Johnsgard | photos courtesy of: Thomas D. Mangelsen

About fifty thousand years ago, as the was miles while on horseback provides the first evidence of grizzlies in the locked in a global deep-freeze and the continental glaciers of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. were at a maximum, a large land bridge that connected More recently, as firearms and ammunition have improved, killing and North America existed in the general region now occupied a as a unique hunter’s trophy has increasingly become by the Bering and , the so-called “” region. Across one of the ultimate icons of manhood for the most thoroughly gun- that corridor many migrated from Asia over the millennia, addicted Americans. As a result, nearly all the grizzly populations of including North America’s ancestral brown bears and, much more western North have been extirpated, except in remote areas recently, the first humans. such as Alaska, and within a few well-monitored sanctuaries such as One early influx of bears arrived in North America from Asia less our western national parks. than fifty thousand years ago. Some of these ancestral Alaskan brown With the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act, the grizzly bear bears apparently became isolated in island and coastal by the was classified as a threatened species throughout the lower forty-eight last of the great glaciers, and the evolved from them. A later states. In a corollary action, and while I was doing field research in the influx of bears from Asia produced the modern brown and grizzly Tetons, the greater Yellowstone region was proposed as critical habitat bears ( arctos). for grizzlies in 1976. This recommendation initiated nearly as much These were not the first American bears. As early as seven million anger among ranchers, landowners, and developers as do current years ago, several bear species were already present in North America. federal attempts to impose national jurisdiction over so-called “states’ The largest mid-Pleistocene bear was the giant short-faced bear. rights.” As a result of these pressures, the critical habitat designation This behemoth probably reached weights in excess of two thousand for Yellowstone was never officially adopted. pounds, or nearly three times the average size of a modern grizzly, Since Yellowstone National Park’s formation in 1872, its bears have and it was perhaps able to subdue some of the largest of Pleistocene been theoretically secure because, according to its official 1883 mammals. This bear and its contemporary relatives such as the cave management principles, the only animals that can be legally killed bear eventually became extinct, except for one surviving descendant, within park boundaries are . However, the park’s principals have the South American . A much smaller bear that had rarely followed these principles. For example, to satisfy fishermen, evolved in the about 1.5 million years ago and arrived at park personnel regularly destroyed the eggs in a nesting colony of least eight thousand years ago in North America became the modern American pelicans on a small island in Yellowstone Lake, black bear (Ursus americanus). although white pelicans consume almost no fish of sporting value. From their original area of North American occupation in Beringia, Until the early decades of the twentieth century, thousands of coyotes, the ancestral brown bears moved south into central North America nearly all of the park’s mountain lions, and all of the park’s wolves toward the end of the Pleistocene, or about twenty thousand years were shot or poisoned. The loss of these predators resulted in large ago. At their peak their range extended south into northern population increases in prey species such as , and their overgrazing and east to the edge of the prairies in Canada’s Prairie Provinces and produced widespread habitat deterioration. the states. In Alaska these huge bears are called Alaska I first saw wild bears on a trip to Yellowstone with my parents during brown bears, or are sometimes known as “Kodiak” bears. They weigh the post-war recovery years of the late 1940s; we observed over fifty on average up to a third more than the more southern populations and black bears during a memorable two-day trip through the park. My can rarely exceed one thousand pounds. The generally accepted name teenage introduction to bears had occurred during the period when for the populations south of Canada is grizzly bear, in reference to the roadside feeding of animals by tourists in national parks was the adults’ gray-tipped” (“grizzled”) pelage. There are transitional popu- norm. Two decades later, Yellowstone National Park began a lations linking these two extreme genetic types, and even a few recent campaign to separate bears from all human encounters and dealt hybrids between Alaskan brown bears and polar bears. harshly with any bears that failed to cooperate. During presettlement times, the grizzly was widespread in western This draconian policy had its origins in 1967, after two grizzlies in North America from the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains east Glacier National Park killed two young women campers. The women across the Rocky Mountains to the High Plains grasslands. Dur- had both been wearing perfume, leading the park to claim that the ing 1804–05, grizzlies were encountered by the Lewis and Clark bears had been attracted by odor rather than as a result of the park’s expedition in what are now North Dakota and Montana, and were inadequate bear management. At that time, bear feeding by tourists seen again by Clark on his return trip down the Yellowstone River was a well-established practice at both Glacier and Yellowstone parks, in 1806. The group’s narratives of meeting grizzly bears, which they and in both locations the animals had lost all fear of humans. variously called “white bears” or “gray bears,” still provide for excit- ing reading material. Clark’s account of chasing a grizzly for two The two deaths in Glacier represented only the fourth and fifth lethal attacks by grizzlies on humans in the entire history of the national parks but caused the administrators of national parks The Cougar Fund to reevaluate their bear policy. Yellowstone Park modified its garbage dumps by eliminating anything that might be attractive to bears. This change forced the bears to search elsewhere for food, such as around campgrounds. During 1966, before the garbage dump policy took effect, a total of Staff Update nine bears that visited a campground near Yellowstone Lake were trapped and removed or killed. In 1968, after a nearby Have you ever just known that you were on the right track? And dump had eliminated all access to garbage by bears, the has that ever happened following a disappointment you didn’t number removed or killed there had risen almost four-fold to expect? Well that is exactly what I experienced when our loyal thirty-three. and efficient office assistant told me that she had found a new job, more in line with her sunny, outgoing personality and in the Accurate estimates of bear mortality associated with Yellow- stone’s control actions are impossible to obtain. For example, field of healthy living that she is such a great example of. Heather in the thirteen years between 1970 and 1982 Yellowstone has been with The Cougar Fund since July 2011 and has been an officials reported an average annual loss of eighteen grizzly incredible asset to the organization; such an asset, in fact, that it bears that died accidentally, were trapped and euthanized, is one of those rare occasions when there is really no way to or were transported to remote locations. However, Frank replace her! Everyone that has worked at The Cougar Fund has Craighead reported in his 1979 Track of the Grizzly that over built upon the solid foundation of the person that came before. the four-year period 1969–1972 an average of thirty-two We have been so fortunate to have this positive forward motion Yellowstone grizzlies were killed annually. as we go about the business of sharing the value of cougars, and In 1971 alone well over forty grizzlies were killed near the advocating for humane treatment of them by all the states that 5 wild-west town of West Yellowstone, located just outside the have resident populations. western boundary of Yellowstone Park, where Expanding our education outreach has become an exciting and have priority over cars and owning lots of firearms iss is a inspiring priority for us, which brings me to a very important status symbol. The grizzly deaths included eighteen radio- introduction and right back to that first sentence about intuitively tagged bears that had been part of the Craighead brothers’ long-term and monumental study on Yellowstone’s grizzly recognizing the right step when you have the opportunity… populations and ecology. Park officials did not receive the Mike Canetta was born and raised in New Jersey and as he has Craighead’s research results well and tried hard to restrict or said himself he suffered from ‘nature deficit disorder’. terminate their studies. visits to the wonderful Rocky Mountain region fed his desire to A 1975 National Academy of Sciences report estimated a not only connect with the natural world but also to dedicate his greater Yellowstone population of about three hundred education and talents to conservation. Mike worked as a seasonal grizzlies, a total that was lowered by a team of independent interpretive ranger for Grand Teton National Park for five scientists to possibly fewer than two hundred by 1982. By summers as he studied to attain both a Bachelor’s degree from the then the Park Service had reassessed and reduced its control University of and a Master’s degree from the University activities. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that, of Montana. Mike values and respects the underlying mission of because of the very large home ranges of grizzlies, illegal the National Park Service to preserve our natural resources and to killing of the animals outside the park strongly influences encourage all people to enjoy those resources in appropriate ways. regional bear numbers. Grizzly pelts and other body parts, such as their claws, have high commercial value, making the The Cougar Fund is founded on very similar principles…we must bears highly attractive targets for poachers. learn how to protect the wonderful resources we have, especially the majestic In recent decades the regional prospects for grizzlies have but often-maligned cougar and other large carnivores. They have a very improved through better-informed park management and important role on the landscape as apex predators, and their slightly improved control of illegal killings. However, in elusive presence will be better understood through knowledge. 2012 a record number of fifty-six bears were known to have Mike’s commitment to imparting that knowledge will be a great been killed by humans in the greater Yellowstone region, asset to The Cougar Fund. His love of the geographic area, his representing about 10 percent of their estimated total popula- exemplary academic credentials, his skills at communication and tion. By comparison, a total of seven human deaths have been his creative approach towards teaching qualify him to be our first caused by Yellowstone’s grizzlies during the park’s entire Education and Outreach Coordinator. Add to that his experi- (continued on page 9) ence as an interpretive ranger and as an environmental educator of children (of all ages!) with the Montana Natural History Center, and I have great confidence that having Mike on our team will keep us ‘on the right track’.

Please join me in welcoming Mike Canetta to The Cougar Fund and enjoy reading about his vision for our education and outreach efforts elsewhere in this newsletter. Message from co-founder, Thomas D. MANGELSEN

It was 1992 when I received the first of several letters from my good Consequently, truly natural sightings of cougars are extremely rare. friend and wildlife filmmaker, Hugh Miles. He was in Torres del They have learned to fear and avoid man here more than in Paine in Chilean filming pumas for a National Geo- where although they are occasionally killed by ranchers, they graphic TV Special, where he was attempting to make a film about are not hunted or heavily researched. cougars (known as pumas in the south) photographed entirely in the Just this past winter I finally flew to Patagonia and retraced some of wild. This had never been done before. Hugh is considered one of Hugh’s steps. I joined with like-minded friends including my assis- the best wildlife filmmakers of all time and it took over two years to tant and videographer, Sue Cedarholm, to embark on a three-week make the film. adventure in search of the elusive “ of the .” I had been in In his letter Hugh described how beautiful and wild the landscape Torres Del Paine a dozen years earlier for a few days after an Antarc- was and how after a lot of trekking he had found a particular family tic photo trip. I was blown away by the Patagonian landscape, one of of pumas that were tolerant of his presence. He discovered that he the most incredible on earth, but had seen no pumas. could be within close filming distances, without disturbing them. The three weeks were filled with adventure, drama, horrendous He named the mother “Penny”, after an old friend. Penny even slept winds and driving rain, brutal treks, long days in blinds, condors, next to him one day and she allowed him to capture the family’s camel-like which are the pumas’ favorite food, and of daily lives through the seasons. Hugh invited me to come join him course the greatest reward, more than a dozen pumas. It was as if we to shoot still photos. This was many years before I had ever set eyes were on a different planet. The were not tame, still aware and on the cougar that inspired my love of cats and changed my life for- reclusive but for the most part not freaked out or scared-to-death ever, when she appeared with her three kittens on Miller Butte, on of and humans (except for those that wandered near the sheep the in Jackson Hole. ranches of course!) It was as if the cats had come to terms with man, When Hugh invited me I was deeply involved in photographing not as an enemy but as just another animal on the landscape. It was polar bears and put his offer on the back burner. This decision would and will always remain one of my most humbling, rewarding and become one of my biggest life regrets. joyful experiences in nature. Cougars trusting humans and humans trusting cougars! Hugh made an extraordinary film, Lion of the Andes (1996) and from time to time he reminded and encouraged me to go and see the pumas for myself. He had trained guides who were still available to lead me to the pumas.

The deep connection that I experienced with the cougars on Miller Butte and the fact that I had experienced only two other sightings in my career spurred me to finally go to Patagonia. In the USA, except for and , cougars are hunted for sport. In every state they are subject to invasive research practices, which entail chasing them, drugging them and fitting them with radio collars and antennae. photos courtesy of: Thomas D. Mangelsen Dedication Resolve

hat happens when a young man with Wa big heart gets an incredible idea? Keep reading, because we are about to tell you a story of creativity, inventiveness, vision, hope and dedication! All five of these wonderful qualities are overflowing from seven-year-old Silas James of Northhampton, . 7 We first became aware of Silas when his father, Ben James contacted us to say his seven year old son had raised over six hundred dollars for cougars! Our first reaction? “Wow!” Then, after we had taken a deep breath, we extended a big, “Thank you!”

How had Silas done this? It is best to let him tell you in his own words in the letter he wrote to everyone he knew.

This fine young man did everything right. Silas had already heard about our wonderful Board He identified the need for cougars to be protected, member, Jane Goodall, in school and this made him he came up with a strategy to contribute to their even more excited about his project because he knew protection, and he followed through on his plan that protecting cougars is something he and Jane and successfully reached the goal he had set for have in common. Silas came up with a plan to raise himself. Perhaps we would all enjoy greater money while spotting at the Hornsby Bend Bird success if we approached an issue the way that Observatory in Austin, . He sent people a Silas did! postcard he designed so that they could pledge to cougars for every bird Silas saw. He created a follow up postcard to make it easy for people to remember their pledge and send it to him.

Thank You, Silas. It was a privilege to finally meet you when your grandparents brought you to our beautiful part of the world. Vision for written by: Mike Canetta the cougar fund Education/Outreach Drive through Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park and dispel many of you will see them: Thousands of people carrying binoculars, the myths that spotting scopes, and cameras. They are the wolf watchers; the surround this bear photographers; people who care deeply about these wild extraordinary, creatures. Flip through newspapers and magazines and this elusive creature. passion and concern is further exemplified: lawsuits over wolf This spring and hunting, op-eds about grizzly de-listing; a constant spotlight summer, The on two of America’s most revered species (deservedly so). Cougar Fund But what about the cougar? delivered educational programs in Grand Teton National Park, Lurking in the shadows of both our wildlands and our collective at guest ranches and campgrounds around Jackson Hole and at conscience, the cougar is the forgotten . The animal summer camps throughout western Wyoming. We reached in- is rarely seen, and is therefore rarely contemplated, celebrated, credibly diverse audiences both in terms of age and ethnicity. This deliberated, or appreciated. While fiery debates and lawsuits rage was a resounding success and we will continue to utilize educa- on over wolf and bear management, western states continue to tional programming to share our message. The cougar is a socially allow the sport hunting of thousands of cougars each year in the and ecologically valuable animal that we CAN co-exist with. name of ‘management.’ And yet, there is barely a peep compared There’s no limit to where we can take education in the future. to bears and wolves. There are always new visitors to the region, new people develop- I do not believe that the lack of attention paid to cougars is due ing an interest in wildlife, and most importantly, new waves of to people disliking them or viewing them as less important children whose instinctual curiosity and openness to learning than the wolf or bear. What I do believe, however, is that many makes them perfect candidates to be ambassadors for the cougar. people know very little about the animal, and even less about its While we had an exceptional slate of educational programs for management, even in states where cougars are abundant. It is spring and summer, I am confident that there are even more clear to me that if we want to bring the cougar to the forefront audiences we can connect with in the future. We will also of the public consciousness and the conservation landscape, we continue to broaden our outreach efforts by utilizing tools like must begin by better telling its story. social media and attending stakeholder meetings, management workshops, fairs, farmers’ markets, and other events so that the I am honored and privileged to join The Cougar Fund team cougar has a voice. as the Education & Outreach Coordinator, and will strive to develop education programs that more deeply connect people to We most certainly can make a difference in the lives of individual the ecological and social value of “America’s Greatest .” We cougars as well as change the overall approach to management are incredibly fortunate to be based in Jackson, Wyoming, a place of the species. First, however, we must build an informed that is home to cougars, wolves, and bears, possesses thousands constituency who want to protect them. It is my sincere belief of passionate and informed citizens, and that also plays hosts that The Cougar Fund can achieve these goals through education to millions of visitors each year from all over the world. Given and outreach, and I am relishing the opportunity to make this a these realities, I believe we have a special opportunity to share better place for both people and cougars. with people the unique natural history of the cougar, and to (Grizzlies continued from page 5)

142-year history. Glacier National Park has likewise had seven lethal Fall grizzly foods in the Yellowstone area often mostly consist of the grizzly attacks over its 104-year history. Yellowstone Park averages seeds of whitebark pines dug out of caches, army cutworm well over three million visitors per year, and Glacier slightly under , and a wide variety of plant leaves and . two million, so the chances of being killed by a bear at either park are For three days Tom and I watched the bears, and at times more than much less likely than of becoming an astronaut. twenty carloads of tourists and local wildlife photographers lined the By comparison, Yellowstone typically has up to ten attacks on roadsides. None bothered the bears, and the bears paid little attention humans per year, and during the fifteen years from 1979 to 1994 there to the onlookers. On a few occasions a bear would cross the highway, were two fatalities and fifty-six injuries caused by bison in Yellow- patiently waiting for the traffic to thin out and provide a safe cross- stone Park. Thus, the park’s seemingly tame and lethargic bison are ing. One even wandered to within a stone’s throw of our parked car, hundreds of times more likely to attack visitors than are its grizzly providing me with a heart-stopping sense of awe at seeing such a bears. (I write from personal experience, having been chased and very beautiful animal in its element and imprinting on my mind an nearly trampled by a rutting male bison in the during the incredible lifetime memory. 1980s.) Closer to home, domestic dogs and each kill an average Tom recently told me that there is now an all-out effort to trap most of roughly twenty Americans annually, while bees, hornets, and wasps of Yellowstone’s regional grizzlies during this summer and fall. One average more than sixty. male (#760) was trapped twice in less than nine months and was fitted Yellowstone’s grizzly populations have markedly improved lately, in with a radio collar. He is one of the few bears that was often seen by spite of high cub mortality rates and an undisclosed number of bears park visitors during 2014 and probably has been observed by hundreds being euthanized by the park. Of seven females with cubs that a friend of thousands over the past four years. With no history of being aggres- monitored in 2013, only two still had any yearlings present in 2014. sive, he nevertheless now conspicuously wears two large yellow ear The bears’ regional annual growth rate from 1983–2001 has been tags and a big radio collar, reminding one more of a decorated Christ- estimated at 4–7 percent, and James Halfpenny estimated in his 2007 mas than a wild bear. As Tom said, “The American public does Yellowstone Bears in the Wild that the greater Yellowstone ecosystem not want to come to their national parks to see Christmas tree bears!” 9 then held five hundred to six hundred grizzly bears. Grizzlies have More ominously, the grizzly will be legally hunted as a trophy species also recently expanded their ranges south out of Yellowstone into in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana if it is regionally delisted from its Grand Teton National Park, where visitors are now increasingly likely current threatened status, as has been proposed by the US Fish and to see them. Wildlife Service. The Wyoming and Fish Department already In September of 2013 I visited Grand Teton National Park and with has made plans for a grizzly bear hunt whenever the species is delisted, Tom Mangelsen saw many of the places I had come to love during with permits (“tags”) to be sold at a bargain price of $660 each, and the 1970s. There were many obvious changes. For example, the Teton the possible sale of as many as fifteen permits. bison herd, which had consisted of a few dozen animals when I first Not all big-game hunters are expert marksmen, and over two saw it in the 1940s, had multiplied to nearly 1,000 head, and hundred years ago Lewis and Clark learned dangers of Yellowstone Park had about 3,500. coping with wounded grizzly bears. With that thought in mind, the Besides seeing all the common Teton and mammals, Tom and greater Yellowstone region may soon become a more dangerous place I also extensively watched three subadult grizzly bears peacefully for both bears and humans, and a far sadder one, in which the sight foraging on plant roots in grassy subalpine meadows near Togwotee of free-roaming and relatively tame grizzlies will become nothing Lodge. The bears also scavenged the carcass of a that a trophy but a memory. hunter had killed and left all but the head and behind to rot.

References: F. Craighead, Track of the Grizzly (San Francisco: Books, 1979). J. C. Halfpenny, Yellowstone Bears in the Wild (Helena, MT: Riverbend Publishing, 2007). P. A. Johnsgard, Yellowstone Wildlife: Ecology and Natural History of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, 2013). R. McNamee, The Grizzly Bear (New York City: McGraw Hill Book Co., 1984). Copyright 2007-2013 Prairie Fire Enterprises, LLC | PO Box 5651 Lincoln, NE 68505 | Phone: 402.499.1306 v olunteer appreciation

There is never a time when Volunteers are not appreciated and celebrated, Board of Directors but sometimes we seem to keep that appreciation just a little too private! Marc Bekoff, Ph.D

Last newsletter, we heralded all of our local ‘angels,’ so this time we would Webb Blessley like to tell you about some wonderful supporters who work hard to help the Patricio Robles Gil cougar in the farther reaches of our beautiful nation. Jane Goodall, Ph.D Starting in the east, Helen McGinnis is a lifelong cougar advocate. With a background in wildlife biology, she has used her education and talent to Rick Hopkins, Ph.D contribute to many conservation organizations. Helen is the person that I President rely on to relay news items that I had not heard about. Many of the fun and Cara Blessley Lowe interesting posts we have shared on Facebook come to you courtesy of Helen’s investigational prowess. Co-Founder and Treasurer

Nancy Hilding is the President of the Prairie Hills Audubon society in Thomas D. Mangelsen, Ph.D . Nancy keeps us updated on issues and emerging policy Co-Founder and Vice President updates throughout the Dakotas. She is tireless and tenacious. Many of our Robert Koons policy watch initiatives come to you because Nancy informs us of what is happening in South Dakota. Corey Rutledge, Esq.

Patricia Fuller, Alan Bartels, Paul Johnsgard, Valerie Vierk and John Swallow Kevin Fulton all stepped up to the plate when we needed help in Nebraska Secretary to support the amazing Senator Ernie Chambers in his battle to stop the craziest hunt of all time. With less than 30 cougars in the whole state, Advisory Board the decision to have a hunt (after more than 100 years without one) was ill- advised, based on revenue generation rather than science. Senator Chambers Susan G. Clark, Ph.D became the voice of the cougar in Nebraska. He managed to get the bill to Brett G. Dickson, Ph.D repeal mountain (LB 671) all the way to the Governor’s desk only to have it vetoed! The veto just increased our resolve. There is an old Ron Hirschi saying: “I have not yet begun to fight”; John Paul Jones must have said this Ted Kerasote knowing there would be an Ernie Chambers in America’s future! Linda L. Sweanor, M.S. Further south in , we are so lucky that Susan and Erich Munkelnbeck enlisted us to monitor the situation where a reintroduction program is resulting in cougars being killed for simply doing what cougars Staff do: their normal prey base. Susan and Erich turned this challenging situation into a positive campaign to distribute educational materials about Penny Maldonabo cougars throughout the area bordering the Santa Catalina’s, where the Managing Director reintroduction is taking place. Many more people know the truth about [email protected] cougars now thanks to Susan and Erich. Mike Canetta There are so many more unsung heroes and it just goes to show that Education and Outreach Coordinator ‘giving’ can be more than just financial support. The gift of volunteering [email protected] is one of The Cougar Fund’s greatest resources and we thank you all for your dedication. How Can I Help? Follow Us Join our networks for the most We hope you are asking yourself this up-to-date information question and we are happy to say that there are several ways: Contact Us Financially. Yes, we do need money to be able to (307) 733-0797 advocate for cougars. We are their voice in the human world. Fax: (307) 733-7129 We encourage you to donate whenever and whatever you feel is the right amount for you. Thank you to all who have already responded to our annual solicitation. We will let you know of special programs or occasions throughout the year that you might be eager to support as well. Please let us know if you would like to discuss other options that suit your own giving needs. We deeply appreciate your financial support. It allows us to be productive and to actively progress. 11

Other opportunities. Go to meetings, send clippings or links from local news articles, write letters, tell other people, request and loan our heartbreaking twelve minute video to your friends and family, or volunteer for us at one of our Cougar Posses or outreach events. These are all ways you can speak for the wild creatures that are being killed in the name of recreation and revenue. You are their voice too! Has your email or mailing address

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“If we kill off the wild, then we are

killing a part of our souls” ~ Jane Goodall WE CAN COEXIST

Please donate. The Cougar Fund will turn your gift into action. In 2014, we... • Delivered nearly 50 education programs for • Continued constructive dialogue with stakeholders and children and families in Teton County decision makers over critical wildlife management issues • Created a fun, distributable education program • Promoted best available science related to cougars for children • Awarded our very first scholarship for • Spearheaded successful advocacy campaigns in four leadership in conservation to a local states that gained greater protections for cougars high school graduate • Empowered individuals to effectively advocate for compassionate treatment of cougars www.cougarfund.org