Saturday, January 3, 2009

Mountain Lions Are Focus Of Jan. 7 Meeting In Beatrice

(UPDATE: 1/8, 9 a.m. -- As noted by one of our readers, the Lincoln Journal Star today reports that last night's Game and Parks meeting in Beatrice attracted more than 200 who wanted to learn more about mountain lions in the Cornhusker State. "Mountain lions are native to Nebraska," the story notes. "But the big cats disappeared in the 1890s because of hunting, trapping and poisoning, and there were no confirmed sightings for 90 years.") Several weeks ago, the Dorchester Times received a prank e-mail that boasted visual evidence that mountain lions had been photographed near Fort Calhoun, Neb. Many other Nebraskans found the same electronic waste in their in-box.

Fortunately, news media across the state reported the e-mailed photos were actually taken from a deer stand in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Despite the hoax, members of the Times staff remain vigilant when it comes to the possibility of mountain lions in Saline County. Since this Web site went online in April 2007, the Times has received more than half a dozen e-mails from readers who claim to have seen mountain lions or tracks in the Dorchester area.

The reader comments left on our Nov. 26 post indicate other Dorchester area residents also have spotted what they believe are cougars.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission currently claims there is no evidence of mountain lions roaming the Saline County countryside. However, we wanted our readers to know that Game and Parks will present information on the status of mountain lions in Nebraska this Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. in Beatrice. The public is invited.

The meeting will include the commission’s protocols regarding mountain lions and a question-and-answer session. For more information, including a map of confirmed mountain lion sightings, go to the Game and Parks' Web site.

2 comments:

  1. that kitty wouldnt stand a chance against my pal ............... he goes by just two names and numbers .................. Ruger Model 44

    ReplyDelete
  2. Per the Lincoln Journal/Star, this meeting had a large turnout.

    ReplyDelete

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