FWP lion meeting is this Thursday

A public information meeting on the conservation and management of mountain lion populations in Montana is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 29, in Kalispell.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 headquarters at 490 N. Meridian. FWP Biologist Jay Kolbe will present information from the new draft Montana Mountain Lion Monitoring and Management Strategy, which is open for public comment until Jan. 11, 2019.

Kolbe and other state agency staff will be available to answer questions, but the meeting is informational only and not a public hearing that will formally accept public comment.

Mountain lions are a native carnivore that are thriving in Northwest Montana ecosystems. They are also a highly prized game animal. Fish, Wildlife and Parks is committed to maintaining sustainable lion populations in all suitable habitats of the state.

During the last 25 years, the state agency has made significant investments in field research that helps inform lion management. With this and research done in other states and provinces, the agency is proposing to use the latest science and state-of-the-art methods and tools to monitor Montana’s lion populations.

The draft strategy does not lay out any population objectives or harvest recommendations but only speaks to guidelines as to how FWP will manage and monitor lions.

To read the draft strategy, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/publicComments/2018/mtnLionMgmtStrategy.html.

Members of the public can submit comments at fwp.mt.gov/hunting, by mailing to Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701, or by emailing fwpwld@mt.gov.