BY Bill Kaar, Editor

Western Outdoor News, NorCal

SACRAMENTO—The ever-growing population of mountain lions in California, and the non-management of them through Passage of Proposition 117, has resulted in an attack on a 3-year-old child in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County on Jan. 20.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has completed testing on the carcass of a mountain lion killed at the park, and determined that the animal was the same one that injured the small child earlier that day.

On Monday, Jan. 20, in the late afternoon, officers responded to the park following reports of a three-year-old boy being attacked and injured by a mountain lion. After the animal reportedly grabbed the child by the neck, the boy’s father charged at it while shouting. The lion released the boy and assumed an aggressive posture. The father then threw a backpack at the animal. The lion then climbed a nearby tree, carrying the backpack in its mouth. Read more

Competition to remove invasive pythons from America’s Everglades is a big success

Participants in the Florida Python Challenge™ 2020 Python Bowl removed 80 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades while simultaneously helping to raise awareness about this important conservation issue. Today the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District announced the results and winners of the Python Removal Competition at the 2020 Python Bowl award ceremony at the Super Bowl Live event in Miami. Read more

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Colorado’s economy, elk population, conservation funding, hunting industry and resident taxpayer dollars are in the crosshairs. An environmental extremist-driven ballot initiative aims to force an introduction of wolves onto the Colorado landscape even though Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a natural migrating, active pack in the northwest part of the state.

“Ballot box biology is reckless. In this particular case, it totally undermines the authority of Colorado’s wildlife professionals who have said time and time again over several decades that a forced wolf introduction is a bad idea,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “As an organization, RMEF pledges to do all in our power to educate voters about the significant, real-life, detrimental impacts of such an effort.” Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced the availability of $100,000 in grants for deer habitat improvement projects on non-state lands across the Upper Peninsula.

The Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative is a cooperative grant program being offered by the DNR’s Wildlife Division. Now in its 12th year, more than $850,000 in hunter license dollars has been invested into deer habitat improvement projects through the program.

“Almost 100 projects, in nearly all U.P. counties, have improved thousands of acres of deer habitat,” said Bill Scullon, DNR Wildlife Division field operations manager and administrator for the grant initiative. “In addition, project partners have contributed nearly half a million dollars in matching funds which has helped to grow the program benefits for wildlife.” Read more

Good conversation, hearty food, roaring fires and entertaining classes about the state’s natural history – it’s all part of Wildlife Weekend, Jan. 31-Feb. 2, at the Ralph A. MacMullan Center on scenic Higgins Lake in Roscommon County.

The DNR and the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education have partnered to offer a fun learning experience that DNR education manager Kevin Frailey said is perfect for anyone 18 or older who loves the outdoors and wants to learn more about our natural world. Guests choose one of three learning tracks: Read more

MISSOULA, Mont.— The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners awarded $87,630 of grant funding to benefit conservation and hunting heritage efforts in Michigan. RMEF directly granted $29,425 and leveraged an additional $58,205 in partner funding.

“Michigan sports a strong and vibrant hunting lifestyle. This grant funding assists a number of different programs and events around the state that opens up many opportunities for youth to enjoy the outdoors. A chunk of it also goes toward a project aimed at improving habitat for elk, deer, turkeys and other wildlife,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We are grateful for our dedicated Michigan volunteers who generated these funds by hosting banquets and other activities.”

There are 15 RMEF chapters and more than 6,300 members in Michigan.

Since 1990, RMEF and its partners completed 161 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Michigan with a combined value of more than $5.4 million. These projects protected or enhanced 5,977 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 877 acres.

Below is a listing of Michigan’s 2019 projects, shown by county. Read more

The state of Michigan today announced the 32 projects that will share $3.6 million in grants through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic (water-based) and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species in Michigan through four key objectives:

• • Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.
  • Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.
  • Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.
  • Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

Read more