News Release

ENCORE! Mountain Lion Ecology in the Jemez Mountains — Large Mammal Monitoring Project

Date: February 7, 2022
Contact: Joanie Budzileni, 505-672-3861 x 1501

face of a mountain lion

NPS

LOS ALAMOS, NM, February 7, 2022 – Back by popular demand! Join Mark Peyton of Valles Caldera National Preserve and Sarah Milligan of Bandelier National Monument on Monday, Feb 28, 2022, from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM to discuss mountain lion ecology in the Jemez Mountains and listen to some of the unique observations while working with this cryptic species as part of the Large Mammal Monitoring Project.

The Large Mammal Monitoring Project is an ongoing collaborative effort being led by Dr. James Cain with the U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in collaboration with BAND, VALL, U.S. Forest Service and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. The goals of this project are to monitor the responses of mule deer, elk, black bear, and mountain lion to prescribed fires, restoration thinning, and previous wildfires.

This encore presentation will be presented in person at the Los Alamos Nature Center (with a tentative limit of 25 attendees, pending county guidance), but you can also join virtually.In person seating is limited, so please register in advance at Event Details – Pajarito Environmental Education Center (peecnature.org).

Admission: Free (please select an in-person or virtual ticket).

About the Presenters:
Mark Peyton is the National Park Service wildlife biologist for Valles Caldera National Preserve. His wildlife interests include threatened and endangered species conservation and carnivore behavior and resource use. He has worked with mountain lions, black bears, mule deer, and elk on the Large Mammal Monitoring Project since the project began in 2011.

Sarah Milligan is the Natural Resource Program Manager at Bandelier National Monument. She started her NPS career as a firefighter at Lassen Volcanic National Park then worked in the Fee program at Acadia National Park before moving to Bandelier. Sarah graduated from Oregon State University with a Master's in Wildlife Management. She has worked on many projects at Bandelier, including the reintroduction of native trout and beavers.

Dr. James Cain will not be presenting at this talk but is the researcher in charge of the Large Mammal Monitoring Project. He is the Assistant Unit Leader of the U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Affiliate Professor in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology at New Mexico State University. Dr. Cain is the principal investigator for the Large Mammal Monitoring Project in the Jemez Mountains. Dr. Cain’s research interests are primarily in wildlife-habitat relationships, population ecology, foraging ecology, and the influence of management practices on native wildlife species.

For more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email [e-mail] or call [phone].