According to the National Park Service, mountain lions are generally calm, quiet, and elusive. They’re also “an important part of the Colorado Rocky Mountains ecosystems,” and they help balance prey populations across the state.

The feline’s primary food source is deer, but they are opportunistic hunters, feasting on easier prey, including coyotes, raccoons, rodents, carcasses, and, unfortunately, domestic animals.

Mountain lions are also called cougars, pumas, catamounts, or panthers. Regardless of what you call them, they’re still wild and live among us. Mountain lions can leap up to 40 feet while running, climb 12-15 feet up a tree or fence, and reach speeds up to 50 mph.

Upon looking into statistics, anyone will see that human and mountain lion encounters are rare, and attacks on humans are even fewer. But what happens when that starts to change? And why does it change? Have the deer migrated elsewhere? Have the numerous mountain construction projects forced these cats out of their homes and into human-populated neighborhoods?

Over 30 local mountain lion sightings or attacks have been reported on wildlifetrackercolorado.com since early 2022. Reports range from Gilpin County to Ward. Luckily, not all encounters have ended in attacks or fatalities. Unfortunately, many of our mountain residents can’t say the same, causing great concern.

Some blame the incidents on climate and environmental changes. Others think recent (within the past few years) projects have caused more frequent encounters as more and more animals are forced out of their habitats.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the National Park Service (NPS), Golden Gate Canyon State Park rangers (GGCSP), and Boulder and Gilpin officials have been contacted. Their responses are pending. In the meantime, here’s what a few reports and research have revealed.

A few years ago, Denver Water proposed the expansion of Gross Dam Reservoir to “provide greater water security to the Front Range, reduce vulnerability in the face of climate change-driven disasters, such as droughts, floods, and fires.”

It’s also intended to “ensure flexibility by addressing the imbalance across Denver Water’s North and South systems, allowing the utility to provide water from multiple sources when needed.” Gross Dam was chosen because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deemed the reservoir “the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.”

Since the project’s first proposal, more work trucks have been driving up and down Coal Creek Canyon. Gross Dam’s 42,000 acre-feet are expanding to 119,000, of which 72,000 acre-feet are used for Denver Water customers.

The remaining 5,000 acre-feet will enhance stream flow to a 17-mile stretch of South Boulder Creek, turning into additional storage for Boulder and Lafayette. “Regardless of the reasons for the project, that’s a lot of habitats to disturb,” states one source.

Why bring up the Gross Dam expansion? If statistics are correct, the project officially began in April. The mountain lion sightings and attack reports began with one in January and two in February, increasing to more than two per month after May and up to almost 20 between November and December.

Mountain lions are solitary animals, with territories spanning an average of 60 square miles. When they move into other mountain lion habitats, the prey becomes scarce, especially when one considers that one mountain lion eats one adult deer per week.

With an estimated 3% yearly increase in home construction in our mountains and projects like the Denver Water Gross Dam Reservoir expansion, there’s speculation that these could be part of the trigger for mountain lions to be more noticeably active.

To protect people from backlash, only information and no names have been shared. A newspaper’s job is to forward the information to our readers. No one is to blame, and there is no right or wrong. This is simply a part of living in the mountains.

Attacks of any kind are worthy of concern, stress, and action. No one’s denying that.

Mountain lions are part of mountain life. It’s sad when the consequences of living together are not always friendly, but there has to be a way to co-exist that’s safe for everyone and everything.

Should there be fewer construction projects in our mountains? Should humans stop moving into nature? The answers are unknown or complicated. What we can do is never let our guard down but avoid making the situation worse by acting on impulse.

Officials recommend the following steps while the situation undergoes investigation.

Tips for staying safe:

• Never hike, walk, or run alone.

• Make noise while hiking, walking, or running.

• Consider carrying a bell and pepper spray while hiking, running, or walking.

• Never leave pets or kids unattended or alone.

• Should animals need to be left outdoors, proper protection/ fencing should be installed (perhaps, an electric fence).

• Never approach wildlife.

• Do not run from a mountain lion (the chase is part of their instinct).

• Do not crouch down.

• Do what you can to seem much bigger.

• Make lots of loud noise.

• Fight back if attacked.

• Give mountain lions plenty of space and options to get away.

Tips if approached or attacked by a mountain lion:

• If you spot a mountain lion and the animal is unaware of you, alter your route so that you will move away from its area.

• Do not run. Remain calm. Hold your ground or back away slowly.

• Continue facing the mountain lion, and maintain eye contact.

• Do all you can to appear larger; Stand upright, raise your arms, raise your walking stick, and open your jacket.

• If you have small children or pets with you, try to pick them up without turning away or bending over.

• Never bend over or crouch down, and avoid looking like a four-legged prey animal; bending may trigger a pounce response in a mountain lion.

• If the lion behaves aggressively, wave your arms slowly, speak firmly in a loud voice, and throw objects like the water bottle in your hand. The goal is to convince it that you are not prey and may be dangerous yourself.

• Try to remain standing to protect your head and neck.

• If attacked, fight back!! Use rocks, jackets, or sticks to turn away the mountain lion.

• Report any mountain lion encounters or incidents to the local Ranger District or Fish and Wildlife Office.

To report a sighting or attack visit https://www.wildlifetrackercolorado.com/

To call in mountain lion reports 24/7, call 303-239-4501.

To learn more about living with mountain lions, the Gross Dam Reservoir expansion, and statistics,

home constructions visit

• https://mountainlion.org/aboutmountain lions/frequently-asked-questions/

• https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife- Guide/ Mammals/Mountain-Lion

• https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/wallowa-whitman/ learning/safetyethics/?cid=stelprdb5228155

• https:// www.nps. gov/ articles/mountain-lion-safety.htm

• https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/ Mammals/Mountain-Lion

• https:// a- z-animals.com/ blog/mountain-lions-in-colorado-what you-should-know/

• https://gilpincounty.colorado.gov/elected-officials/assessor

• https:// bouldercounty.gov/departments/assessor/

• https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/LionStatistics.aspx

• https:// www.denverwater.org/grossreservoir/about-theproject/what- is- the-grossreservoir-expansion-project