Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

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CRITICAL COUGAR CROSSING AND BAY AREA REGIONAL PLANNING
MICHELE KORPOS, Live Oak Associates, Inc., 6830 Via Del Oro, Suite 205, San Jose, CA
95119, USA, email: mkorpos@loainc.com
Abstract: The goal of this presentation is to illustrate the need for habitat conservation and
regional planning on behalf of cougars (Puma concolor), which play an integral role in the health
of their ecosystems. As a keystone species, “further degradation of [cougar] habitat connectivity
will lead to cascading impacts down through successively lower trophic levels…” (Jigour 2000).
County borders are human constructs with no ecological relevance. It can be assumed certain
cougar home ranges overlap San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties (California), while
others may overlap Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. These counties contain the
Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Gabilan and Diablo Mountain Ranges. The challenge is to
maintain land connections between large patches of intact habitat through open communication
among county agencies and through regional planning efforts.
By developing land on a project-by-project basis, counties promote habitat fragmentation. Left
unchecked, human development in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains will continue to
fragment cougar habitat, leading to geographic isolation, and the eventual demise of our local
population. Maintaining large tracts of land and providing connections through less hospitable
landscapes are critical to ensuring the future health of cougar populations and the wildlife that
share their ecosystems.
LITERATURE CITED
Jigour, V. 2000. Correspondence to Rusty Areias, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation, dated 31 January 2000.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP