I went to trailheads, ball fields and other places looking for signatures. 40 in a four hour window felt like a great day. It was hard long work for one signature. I’m not going to lie….. it was brutally hot in the mid day sun and I received snide remarks and challenges to what I was doing/sharing……. spending a long time with people educating/informing about how many lions and bobcats were being killed—the hows and whys…..and then seeing so many folks shocked that trophy hunting was even happening, it took a lot to keep showing up but with a deadline approaching and…..

To make Novembers ballot, it required gathering 188k signatures, I had to keep going.
So, clipboard in one hand and water bottle in another. I was canvassing. I had never done anything like this before…. and to be honest, in the past when I saw someone coming to me with a clipboard and are you a Colorado voter start, I would steer away….. so I knew this would be a challenge of sorts….

A friend had suggested that my love of nature would be welcome or “ a good match” in the efforts to end the banning of trophy hunting of big cats. I am not entirely new to to advocacy work but it had been a while and it requires a certain toughness—to not take things personally. For example, a man and his young son walked by. The Dad sneered at me and said.. I will kill… it’s my right! And another woman told me I had no business being at the park where she has her right to be there without someone in her space. She went out of her way to approach and try to intimidate me. But for the most part, people were curious and that felt respectful and good. And they thanked me for being a volunteer.

If you haven’t been close to a big cat…. I wish that for you…. of course safely 🙂

I had that chance not too long ago when I headed with a friend up into the foothills behind wonderland lake to catch the northern lights. It was about 10pm with our headlights turned off because the full moon glow was soo strong. It wasn’t that far up the trail before I heard a bird like noise. I stopped… and then thought… there are no birds out at night. It dawned on my friend that the noise we both heard belonged to a mountain lion. It sounded so close!!!
We didn’t see a cat, but turned anyway and headed quickly down the hill to the car. Just in case 🙂

And there was a real sighting in our neighborhood. One had come through our back yard I suppose interested in the chickens we kept. A large predator apparently had taken down neighbor’s goats. But it is easy to create a story and we can only speculate. Maybe that goat death was from a bear? We never found out. But fear of these powerful animals runs our emotions —what about young kids? our little dogs?

How do we live in harmony with our big cats? How do we give them the best chance of survival when our homes overlap? Do we have enough information to make laws? What are the consequences of actions? Your understanding of this issue is important and your vote is important.

For more information, check out Cats Are not Trophies (CATs) website or MountainLion.org.

in a quick summary, this is what I was told…

• mountain lions are apex predators who are able to manage their population—they don’t need CPW.
• mountain lions are usually hunted using unfair hunting practices—GPS collared dogs to tree them for easy shooting.
• the healthy ones are taken leaving the young to learn to hunt and often that means they find themselves in town. Little ones are not able to take down bigger prey so they go after domesticated dogs and cats….
• they are important to manage the growing diseases in elk and deer herds—specifically chronic wasting disease—the lions naturally take the weak in nature and bring better control or balance to this concern.
• approx. 2500 bobcats/year are being live trapped and strangled, drowned or starved so the pelts don’t have blood for trading overseas where pelts are still desired.
• 600 mountain lion permits are honored each year/1200 are issued.
• the exact number of lions in the state is not actually known but estimated to be between 2000 and 5,000.
• it stands that lions are permitted to be killed if they endanger humans or are a threat to farmers.

The counter argument is the right to kill; killing lions (big game) in Colorado is cheaper than going to Africa; outfitters are entitled to their business profits. That CPW and science should be managing the populations not the public who might be emotionally swayed.

What I also learned is that if this was not on the ballot, it would be another 20 years before this would be allowed to be brought to the public for vote. That a win here in Colorado will support other States aiming to also bring the issue to the ballot next year—like Utah.

So…. this is an important topic especially when we consider our role/relationship with nature and the impact of controlling a species without full understanding of the impact on our own health and wellbeing.

ROAR— Poem by Blair Chandler, 2024

In the wilds of Colorado I roam……
a beautiful place I call home.

HOME is not on your wall

Let me tell you a story
that is shy of glory
from the other side….

where My mighty soul
took a fall
having been shot
down from a tree
so you could see
those qualities
you admire most—-
nobility, courage, strength
….not to boast
My head stuffed on your wall
the rest tossed….
what a loss

HOME is the way I hold my head high
and pounce
Launch
strong and able
on the weak
for my table

you see I am
or I was….

confident and strong
I walked alone
but now
for my
family left behind
I moan

unable to know my kin
Let me tell you again
my prowess and elegance
was not by chance

my DNA now gone
smaller, weaker males roam
in town
making conflicts more inevitable
and regrettable

And, I wonder…
who will teach my kits
the ways of hunting?

I dare say
live trapping for the pelts you wear
seems quite unfair

Awareness makes changes and offers choices
and our clan is grateful for these voices

that protect how we can coexist
you see we walk gently (between worlds)
in the morning and evening mist

remember your walls do not need my head
I have said
from the dead
but not forgotten
land of conscious coexistence…..
You need me on my paws
not on your walls.

Stop and think next time you think it’s fun
to hunt the strongest males and females with your gun
cuz
All one big family
are we.
Having many beautiful tawny tales to tell (and so do you).
Our roles are important here as well, so……
Stop!! when you come across one of us in the wild
hold our magnificence with awe
and love us from afar.

We are entitled to our home,
OHM OHM OHM OHM

Hear us roar*!
* or chirp…..