Overview
- Commissioners are meeting in Sacramento to decide the California Endangered Species Act status, with a yes vote triggering project-level review that could accelerate wildlife crossings to restore connectivity.
- The proposal targets six distinct puma populations in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast, Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains, and Eastern Peninsular Ranges.
- A state review estimates about 4,172 mountain lions statewide and roughly 947 within the proposed protection areas, including the young male known as 157M who recently wandered into San Francisco.
- Documented threats include 70 to 100 road deaths each year, widespread rodenticide exposure detected in nearly 94% of tested livers from 2016–2022, and wildfire losses such as two collared lions in the 2018 Woolsey Fire.
- The cats have had temporary protections since 2020 following a 2019 petition, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommended moving forward with the designation in December.