Post by Ellen O'Connell

Thank you to Ted Williams for this article yesterday, July 8, 2026, in the Standard-Examiner guest opinion section. Ted writes about Utah’s mountain lion policy, drawing attention to what is happening to mountain lions in Utah. Over the past several years, Utah has moved toward one of the most aggressive cougar-hunting policies in the country. Utah has steadily expanded predator control. In 2020, HB 125 made predator killing a formal response to try to increase mule deer populations. In 2023, HB 469 went much further, eliminating cougar permits and bag limits, allowing year-round hunting, and authorizing trapping and snaring. Now, WRI-7707 authorized a study testing whether reducing mountain lion densities in six deer-management units will increase mule deer survival and population growth. In effect, Utah is using lethal cougar removal to test whether killing mountain lions will rebuild mule deer herds. At the heart of this issue is a simple question: will Utah manage wildlife based on science, transparency, and the public trust — or allow politics and pressure to drive decisions? Nobody disputes that mountain lions prey on deer. The real question is whether killing more mountain lions will actually restore mule deer populations, or whether the targeted mule deer popuaiton number of 404,900 is sustainable even if reached. The best available science points to a much more complicated picture: habitat loss, drought, severe winters, disease, development, migration barriers, and forage conditions all shape mule deer survival. Mountain lions are apex predators, and their presence has a ripple effect across the landscape. By influencing how deer move and feed, lions help support healthier vegetation, stronger ecosystems, and greater biodiversity. Protecting mountain lions is not just about saving one species — it is about protecting the balance of the wild places we all share. By making predator killing the default response, Utah risks taking science out of the equation — and ignoring the deeper ecological problems facing both deer and mountain lions. These decisions will shape not only the future of mountain lions in Utah, but public confidence in how wildlife is governed. What is happening in Utah is about more than mountain lions. It is about public trust. Wildlife belongs to all of us, and decisions about its future should be made through transparent public process, independent science, and meaningful accountability. Mountain lions are part of Utah’s natural heritage and play an essential role in healthy ecosystems. Wildlife policy should be guided by science, professional wildlife expertise, and the public interest — not politics or special interests. At the Mountain Lion Foundation, we believe Utah can choose a better path: one rooted in sound science, responsible stewardship, and coexistence. See full article here: https://lnkd.in/g6p-W5Zk