You did it! On Thursday, April 16, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to designate Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions as candidates for protected status under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). Thank you for the hundreds of emails you submitted in support of this action!

What’s Happening

Two weeks ago, we asked you to email the Commission urging them to take this step to protect our mountain lions. The Southern California and Central Coast populations of mountain lions, including those here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, face severe threats to their survival from habitat loss due to increased development, and from roads and highways creating barriers to migration. 

With this action by the Fish and Game Commission, these populations of mountain lions will be immediately afforded protection under the CESA during the year-long review process that is required before they can be formally designated as a threatened species. 

This could make a huge difference in the survival of these big cats. For example, the Sargent Ranch sand mine that’s being proposed on the sacred Native American landscape and critical wildlife corridor at Juristac will now have to specifically identify impacts from the mine to the mountain lions that cross this landscape to move in and out of the Santa Cruz Mountains. With a huge mining operation blocking this pathway, our mountain lions could be pushed even closer to extinction.

Let’s continue the fight to protect mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Join the thousands of local residents who have signed the petition to protect the wildlife migration corridor at Juristac from this destructive sand mining operation. With your help, we can protect our mountain lions and all of the amazing wildlife in our area.