Mountain Lion Foundation

Mountain Lion Foundation Our mission is to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild. Our vision requires humans to respect and trust, not fear, lions in proximity.
(1)

We live in a time of climate stress, a fearsome pace of extinctions, and a planetary crisis. If humankind can reverse the lion’s decline, there is hope. Together, we can save America's lion.

Big congratulations to Joshua Lisbon , Colin Ruggiero , and the entire team behind Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion on i...
05/14/2026

Big congratulations to Joshua Lisbon , Colin Ruggiero , and the entire team behind Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion on its Emmy nomination for Outstanding Nature Documentary.

We’re especially proud to celebrate Joshua’s role in helping bring Willow’s story to life. Willow showed audiences a rare and intimate look into the life of a wild mountain lion family, and the fragile, connected landscapes they depend on to survive.

A special thank you to for sharing this powerful story with viewers across the country and continuing to create space for conservation storytelling that inspires understanding, wonder, and coexistence.

100 years of Life on Our Blue Planet Earth. He has shown us our natural world, how to love it and protect it. He has sha...
05/08/2026

100 years of Life on Our Blue Planet Earth.

He has shown us our natural world, how to love it and protect it.

He has shaped conservation and caring across the globe.

We thank him, and we celebrate him for his curiosity and clarity, for all he has given us in his time here.

Happy 100th, Sir David. ❤️🌍

05/07/2026

Mountain lion families experience different conditions that influence their survival.

These can include resource availability, hunting success, caloric demands, age, and injury or illness.

In this clip, these kittens are competing hard over a limited food source. Their mother is older, on the upper end of what we see in the wild, and not able to provide the calories she once could. The kittens are just beginning to wean, but still nursing, adding even more pressure on her.

They’re scavenging a hunter-discarded hide.


It’s a tough picture, but an honest one.

Life in the wild isn’t assured, for predator or prey. Many factors shape what survives and what doesn’t. Mountain lions typically have 2–4 kittens… but often only 1 or 2 make it to adulthood.

And still, after the tension settles, you see something else:

nd still, after the tension settles, you see something else:

ake it to adulthood.

And still, after the tension settles, you see something else:

A mother, trying to raise her young.

When conflicts increase, it’s easy for the conversation to focus on reaction.But long-term solutions come from preventio...
05/05/2026

When conflicts increase, it’s easy for the conversation to focus on reaction.

But long-term solutions come from prevention.

In a recent article from the The Sacramento Bee examining rising mountain lion conflicts in El Dorado County, our Chief Conservation Officer, Byron Weckworth, highlights what’s needed moving forward.

Strengthening research is an important step.

But lasting progress depends on something more:

A comprehensive approach that brings together science, policy, and practical coexistence.

When we align these systems, we reduce conflict before it starts, and this supports both communities and wildlife.

That’s the path forward.


On Earth Day, the House of Representatives removed a bill that would have weakened the Endangered Species Act.The propos...
04/23/2026

On Earth Day, the House of Representatives removed a bill that would have weakened the Endangered Species Act.

The proposed changes would have delayed protections for at-risk species, sped up removals from the list, reduced habitat safeguards, and increased allowable harm to wildlife already under pressure.

For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped over 99% of listed species avoid extinction, serving as one of the most effective conservation laws in the world.

This moment is a reminder: protecting wildlife isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a shared responsibility.

And when people stay engaged, those protections hold.

Earth Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s a reflection.What holds the natural world together, and what happens when those...
04/22/2026

Earth Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s a reflection.

What holds the natural world together,
and what happens when those connections break?

Mountain lions are part of that story.

As a keystone species, they help keep ecosystems in balance.

Healthy puma populations = healthy ecosystems.

But those systems are under pressure.

Habitat is fragmented.
Wildlife crossings are limited.
Human impacts are growing.

This isn’t just about mountain lions.
It’s about the health of the places we all share.

So today, look around:

What wildlife lives near you?
How is your community connected to something larger?

And if you want to help:

• Support wildlife crossings
• Reduce conflict attractants
• Advocate for habitat protection
• Back science-based management

We’re part of these systems, too.
And the choices we make shape what endures.

The Mountain Lion Foundation (Byron Weckworth, Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer, and Bob McCoy, MLF Board Vice Chai...
04/14/2026

The Mountain Lion Foundation (Byron Weckworth, Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer, and Bob McCoy, MLF Board Vice Chair) was proud to take part in this year’s Cougar Celebration Day in Chimacum, WA.

It was a truly inspiring gathering hosted at Finnriver Farm & Cidery and organized by CedarRoot School in partnership with Panthera’s Olympic Cougar Project. The event brought together an enthusiastic community of supporters, partners, and wildlife advocates in a beautiful setting.

Throughout the day, the MLF table saw a steady stream of visitors — people eager to ask thoughtful questions, share their own experiences, and engage in meaningful conversations about mountain lions.

Many signed up for our newsletter and left with brochures, posters, postcards, and stickers in hand.

It was a great reminder of the curiosity, care, and commitment people bring to conserving these remarkable animals.

We’re grateful to everyone who stopped by to connect, ask questions, and be part of the conversation.

ConservationCommunity KeepItWild

Mountain lion mothers are constantly making decisions on where to shelter, when to move, and how to keep their young saf...
04/07/2026

Mountain lion mothers are constantly making decisions on where to shelter, when to move, and how to keep their young safe.

They begin in a natal den, then move their kittens between maternal dens, sometimes after weeks, sometimes every few days, to avoid detection by predators. These choices vary widely from one mother to another.

In areas with wolves, dens are often rocky and hard to access. But in landscapes without that pressure, mothers may choose softer, more concealed spaces like this one, tucked at the base of downed logs near a natural spring.

Litters typically include 1–4 kittens, though often only 1 or 2 survive to dispersal. As they grow, those early dens give way to logs, brush, and small hidden spaces where young lions begin to explore.

It’s a reminder that coexistence isn’t theoretical. It’s happening all around us, shaped by the landscapes we share.

LionEffect HabitatMatters

Predator removal does NOT solve the problem.In this letter, MLF Board Chair, John Ziegler, responds to a broader convers...
04/01/2026

Predator removal does NOT solve the problem.

In this letter, MLF Board Chair, John Ziegler, responds to a broader conversation in conservation, one also explored by Ted Williams, who recently joined our Advisory Board.

Both point to the same underlying truth: when wildlife policy is driven by fear instead of science, it creates more instability, not less.

Mountain lions are key to the systems that contribute to resilient ecosystems.

Removing them without addressing the underlying conditions only accelerates fragmentation and conflict.

This is why our work focuses on something deeper: science-based policy, connected habitat, and practical coexistence.

ProtectWildlife

Address

Concord, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(916)4422666

Website

https://mountainlion.networkforgood.com/projects/90344-keep-america-s-lion-wild-and-free,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mountain Lion Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Mountain Lion Foundation:

Share