TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2024 Supervisors could weigh in on mountain lion predation

Board also set to review letter regarding sagegrouse management

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is set to review two letters to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife separately addressing issues with mountain lion predation and greater sage-grouse management during its meeting today, among many other items on its agenda.

Inyo County resident Brian Tillemans brought the mountain lion predation issue before the board of supervisors in February when Tillemans provided a report on the status of mule deer and endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep populations.

During public comment at that meeting, Tillemans cited California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) numbers showing a dramatic decline in both species’ populations at the same time that mountain lion populations have exploded.

He urged the board to support efforts to convince the CDFW to develop common sense and muchneeded mountain lion management policies when predation is taking such a significant toll on the very viability of these iconic animals.

Supervisors requested that the matter be placed on a meeting agenda so the board could better engage with Tillemans on the issue.

Tillemans also provided a similar update to the Inyo County Fish and Wildlife Commission in March and the commission voted to ask the board to send a letter to the CDFW director asking

INDEX

for immediate action to mitigate mountain lion predation on mule deer and endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.

The commission, which may not take official positions without the approval of the board of supervisors, also asked that it be authorized to send a similar letter. Commissioners also voted to request the board send a letter supporting what appears to be successful management of the greater sage-grouse, and authorize the commission to send a similar letter.

The draft letter from the board that supervisors will review today regarding mountain lions, includes, in part, “Since the passage of Proposition 117 more than 20 years ago, the management of the State’s top predator by CDFW, the mountain lion, has been non-existent due to provisions in the law. The Board believes it is important for the Department to find a way to include depredation permits for mountain lions in any management scenario. It has been reported that 69 percent of collared deer mortality is attributed to mountain lions.”

Other items on the board’s agenda today include an update on nighttime air ambulance service to the Lone Pine Airport, a broadband project prioritization workshop, among other meeting items.

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet in regular session at 10 a.m. this morning with the agenda available at the county website, www.inyocounty. us. The meeting will be held in the Board Chambers at the County Administrative Center in Independence, 224 N. Edwards St.

You can stream meetings live and participate via Zoom through the county’s website.