< April 2010 >

Join us in La Honda for the latest updates from the research and conservation efforts of of the Bay Area Puma Project (BAPP). The first major study of pumas in the Bay Area!

This event will raise awareness in the community about predator aversion techniques and about our local project in the Bay Area, the Bay Area Puma Project (BAPP).

Course Description: Spend two days with biologists Dr. Don Hunter and Caroline Krumm learning about Colorado's top predator, the mountain lion (Puma concolor). Instructors will take students into the field for hands on instruction in the tools and methods used in research and management. In addition to an academic overview, students will receive practical instruction on how to “read” the signs left by mountain lions. After taking the course, students will be better equipped to gain an understanding of how the mountain lion fits into the wildland and urban ecosystems, including its relationship with the people and communities of the Front Range.

Each day begins at FRCC with a morning of lectures and presentations that cover mountain lion ecology, such as physical characteristics, habitat preferences, prey base, ecological niche, life history details, and human-lion interaction. In the afternoon the class ventures into the natural area, learning basic habitat characterization, prey identification, mountain lion movement, remote camera trapping, and radio telemetry.

Note: The seminar will include moderate hikes of less than 4 miles per day; for details on Bobcat Ridge Natural Areas see: http://www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/finder/bobcat