LION POPULATIONS. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? WELL, A DECISION THAT IS MADE HERE AT THE CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON MOUNTAIN LIONS IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY ON THE AGENDA FOR TODAY’S FISH AND GAME COMMISSION MEETING, MEMBERS WILL CONSIDER AND POTENTIALLY ACT ON A PETITION, A STATUS REVIEW REPORT, AND COMMENTS RECEIVED BY THE COMMISSION, AND THEN THEY’LL DECIDE IF IT’S WARRANTED TO LIST SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND CENTRAL COAST MOUNTAIN LION POPULATIONS AS ENDANGERED UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. WILDLIFE ADVOCATES SAY THOSE BIG CATS NEED PROTECTIONS BECAUSE THEY FACE THREATS FROM DEVELOPMENT, ROADWAYS AND EVEN RODENT POISON THAT’S OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENT, THE COMMISSION’S VOTE APPLIES TO PUMA POPULATIONS IN THE SANTA CRUZ CENTRAL COAST, SANTA MONICA, SAN GABRIEL, SAN BERNARDINO AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAIN RANGES, ALONG WITH THE EASTERN PENINSULAR RANGES. BACK OUT HERE LIVE. THAT COMMISSION MEETING IS SET TO GET UNDERWAY AT 830 THIS MORNING. YOU CAN ATTEND IN PERSON IF YOU’D LIKE TO WEIGH IN THAT WAY OR ATTEND ONLINE VIA ZOOM, AND WE’LL HAVE A LINK TO THAT ZOOM MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE, KCRA.COM. A LITTLE BIT LAT
Mountain lion protections considered by state Fish and Game Commission
Protection would apply to central and southern California puma populations
Updated: 8:15 AM PST Feb 12, 2026
Protections could soon be put in place for pumas – also known as mountain lions – within the Central Coast and southern California mountain ranges.The state Fish and Game Commission is set to decide Thursday if it’s warranted to list the Southern California and Central Coast mountain lion populations as “endangered” under the California Endangered Species Act.On the agenda for the Feb. 12 Fish and Game Commission meeting: consideration and potential action on a petition, a status review report, and review of comments received by the commission regarding the matter.Wildlife advocates say the big cats need protections because they face threats from development, roadways and even rodent poison in the environment.“The commission has an incredible opportunity to protect these awe-inspiring cats and pull them from the edge of extinction, ” a statement by Tiffany Yap, the urban wildlands science director for the California Center for Biological Diversity, read. “These puma populations face so many threats. Poorly planned roads and development are boxing them in and causing harmful genetic isolation. They’re killed on our roads, getting sick and dying from rat poisons, and getting trapped in wildfires. California’s Endangered Species Act became law to help struggling species, so they don’t disappear. This is exactly the kind of help mountain lions need.”The commission’s vote would apply to puma populations in the Santa Cruz, Central Coast, Santa Monica, San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Santa Ana mountains along with the Eastern Peninsular ranges.People can attend the meeting in person at the California Natural Resources Headquarters Building, 715 P St., 2nd floor, Sacramento, or the meeting can be viewed by following the webinar instructions at this link.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Protections could soon be put in place for pumas – also known as mountain lions – within the Central Coast and southern California mountain ranges.
The state Fish and Game Commission is set to decide Thursday if it’s warranted to list the Southern California and Central Coast mountain lion populations as “endangered” under the California Endangered Species Act.
On the agenda for the Feb. 12 Fish and Game Commission meeting: consideration and potential action on a petition, a status review report, and review of comments received by the commission regarding the matter.
Wildlife advocates say the big cats need protections because they face threats from development, roadways and even rodent poison in the environment.
“The commission has an incredible opportunity to protect these awe-inspiring cats and pull them from the edge of extinction, ” a statement by Tiffany Yap, the urban wildlands science director for the California Center for Biological Diversity, read. “These puma populations face so many threats. Poorly planned roads and development are boxing them in and causing harmful genetic isolation. They’re killed on our roads, getting sick and dying from rat poisons, and getting trapped in wildfires. California’s Endangered Species Act became law to help struggling species, so they don’t disappear. This is exactly the kind of help mountain lions need.”
The commission’s vote would apply to puma populations in the Santa Cruz, Central Coast, Santa Monica, San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Santa Ana mountains along with the Eastern Peninsular ranges.
People can attend the meeting in person at the California Natural Resources Headquarters Building, 715 P St., 2nd floor, Sacramento, or the meeting can be viewed by following the webinar instructions at this link.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel