Publication Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
Lion sightings may force temporary closure of nature preserves
Lion sightings may force temporary closure of nature preserves
(February 11, 2005) City receiving daily reports of cougars in the hills
by Bill D'Agostino
Palo Alto City Naturalist Deborah Bartens doesn't take her dog Daisy along when she hikes in the city's vast nature preserves.
"I don't want her safety to be jeopardized," Bartens said, citing increased lion spottings in the area. Soon, Daisy may not be the only one who can't enjoy the city's stunning vistas and wide-ranging fauna and flora.
Palo Alto nature officials reported this week they may temporarily close nature preserves to the public, or just to dogs. There has been a mountain lion sighting in the city's foothill preserves approximately once a week this year.
Even more worrisome is the behavior of the large cats, which are practically stalking hikers -- especially those with dogs. On Jan. 25, a mountain lion reportedly watched a visitor with a dog near the Bowl Loop in the Arastradero Preserve. On Feb. 2, eight different visitors to Foothills Park thought they saw a lion. Both sightings were in the afternoon.
"I just keep taking report after report after report, day and night, night and day," Bartens said. Red signs at the entrance to both Arastradero Preserve and Foothills Park tell visitors of the recent sightings and warn them to be vigilant, even to fight back if attacked.
The naturalist is consulting biologists and other mountain lion experts for advice. She even traveled to a conference in Boulder, Colo. last month. "I just want to do everything we can to make sure our approach is based on a lot of peoples' experiences," she said.
City officials cautioned it was still early to know what course of action they would ultimately recommend. Even temporary closures -- which could last for days or even weeks at a time -- would need to be approved up the chain of command.
"We're still in that investigatory stage," Supervising Park Ranger Lester Hodgins said. "This is so new for us."
There are various theories for what is causing the increase in cougar sightings in the city's open space. Some experts have speculated it's due to locals' heightened awareness after a police officer shot and killed a mountain lion in a city neighborhood last May. Others believe the relevant factors are expanding real estate growth in the foothills or that deer, the mountain lion's favorite prey, are becoming friendlier to humans.
Last month, police warned dog owners to watch out while hiking in the preserve.
Arastradero Preserve is one of the few large areas of open space that allows dogs. It has become especially popular for dog walkers since the Stanford Dish was closed to dogs in 2000, out of concern for its wildlife and trail conditions.
Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.
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