Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (513)
            • Architecture (74)
            • Arts (319)
            • Business (120)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (288)
            • Entertainment (336)
            • Environment (27)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1531)
            • Exercise (54)
            • Government (245)
            • Health & Wellness (132)
            • Heritage (384)
            • History (174)
            • Hyperlocal (26)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (195)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (255)
            • Nature (247)
            • News (1084)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (44)
            • Outdoors (176)
            • People (112)
            • Philanthropy (68)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (204)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (89)
            • Sports (21)
            • Transportation (70)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
          • NEW Health
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Chez Lin & Rays
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • NEW Health
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / Nature / Cougar Watch Update from Protect the Adirondacks!

      Cougar Watch Update from Protect the Adirondacks!

      September 6, 2014 By Geo Davis Leave a Comment

      Cougar Watch (Credit: Protect the Adirondacks!)
      Cougar Watch (Credit: Protect the Adirondacxxxks!)

      I’d like to return briefly to one of the most majestic (if controversial) apex predators to have graced the Adirondacks and the Champlain Valley, the cougar. Specifically I’ll introduce a resource for tracking cougar sightings, and perhaps some of the fortunate members of our broader community who reported cougar sightings this spring will be able to contribute their experiences to the Cougar Watch.

      Carnivorous apex predators are a thrilling but unfortunately polarizing topic, and John Davis recent three-part series exploring possible merits and implications of a resident population of wolves in the Adirondacks reminded me to help propel positive results from the debate rather thank just fanning the flames. If you missed out on any of John’s wolf posts, you can click on their titles below:

      • “Restore the Adirondack Wolf”
      • “Economic and Social Reasons for Wolf Restoration”
      • “Return Wolves to Increase Public Safety”

      John’s carnivore advocacy was first showcased in a similar series about cougars (aka mountain lions) that we published last spring:

      • “Misplaced Fear of Cougars (and Other Predators)”
      • “We Should Welcome Cougars Back”

      We followed John’s cougar posts with a fascinating collection of cougar sightings as reported by members of the community, and at the time I didn’t realize that there was an official resource for tracking cougar sightings. Today I’d like to introduce a project organized by Protect the Adirondacks!  (PROTECT)called “Cougar Watch”.

      Cougar Watch Project

      On August 14 PROTECT published a Cougar Watch Update which brought the initiative to my attention. In addition to building a repository of first-hand cougar sighting accounts, they have created a map plotting cougar sighting locations throughout the Adirondack Park between April 2013 and August 2014.

      The Cougar Watch project started as effort to gather information about sightings of cougars (Puma concolor) in the Adirondack Park. Many people have claimed to see cougars over the years, but obtaining physical evidence is difficult given that most sightings are of road crossings. Since Cougar Watch started we have collected sightings and can report 17 credible sightings and two sets of tracks. (Protect the Adirondacks!)

      Seventeen credible cougar sightings sounds impressive to me, perhaps another indication that a resident population – albeit a small population – of cougars may already be resident in the Park. This seems to corroborate the anecdotal evidence presented in our post, “Cougar Sightings in and around Essex” last April. I hope that some of the folks who have witnessed cougars locally will choose to report their sightings.

      The purpose of the Cougar Watch project is two-fold. First, there continue to be regular reports of cougars across the Adirondacks. Jerry Jenkin’s Adirondack Atlas features a map of cougar sightings on page 51. PROTECT will manage a database about all reports made available to us. We will investigate sightings that include information, such as pictures, pictures of tracks, scat samples, etc. Second, if there is a cluster of reports in a specific geographic area, PROTECT will work with cougar experts to try and assess the presence of cougars. (Protect the Adirondacks!)

      Report a Cougar Sighting

      Let’s help build the database in order to learn more about the possibility of an Adironack cougar population. If you think you’ve seen a cougar, use the PROTECT website to Report a Cougar Sighting.

      Need help determining whether or not the wild cat you spied was a bonafide cougar? The following cougar identification tools and tips are from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and are shared via Protect the Adirondacks!. Please use them to help you ascertain whether or not your sighting is worth reporting. Thank you.

      Cougar Identification (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Cougar Identification (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Cougar Track Sizes (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Cougar Track Sizes (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Cougar Stride Length (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Cougar Stride Length (Credit: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
      Related articles
      • We Should Welcome Cougars Back (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
      • Catfight: How mountain lions are struggling to survive (salon.com)
      • Economic and Social Reasons for Wolf Restoration (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
      • Restore the Adirondack Wolf (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: Nature, News Tagged With: Adirondack Mountains, Adirondack Park, Adirondack Wolf, Cougar, Footprint, Mountain Lion, Protect the Adirondacks, Puma, wolf

      About Geo Davis

      Geo Davis (aka virtualDavis) is a writer, storyteller and unabashed flâneur. He taught and coached at Santa Fe Preparatory School and The American School of Paris, co-founded Maison Margaux: "Paris à la parisienne" in Faubourg Saint-Germain, and owns Adobe Oasis in Santa Fe, NM with his bride.

      Geo chronicles adventures (and misadventures) of rehabilitating an historic Essex home at Rosslyn Redux: Reawakening a home, a dream and ourselves; blogs about doodling and other esoterica at virtualDavis.com; posts sometimes unnerving, occasionally euphoric, and always pollyanna "midlife mashups" at 40x41.com; waxes nautical at Sailing Errant; and delves into matters of parenting, babylandia, and childfreedom at Why No Kids? He meanders on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr.

      Reader Interactions

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Rewilding Earth Unplugged: Best of Rewilding Earth 2018 

      Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (585)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (231)
      • Essex Farm (205)
      • Champlain Area Trails (CATS) (198)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Tom Mangano (142)
      • Fort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Lakeside School (116)

      Upcoming Events

      Click to enlarge.

      Newman Center Film Series-on-Tour: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

      January 16 @ 7:00 pm At Hampton Inn

      The Newman Center Film Series-on-Tour will stop at the Hampton Inn, 586 State Route 3, Platts… [Continue Reading]

      Click to enlarge.

      Champlain Valley Film Series Presents Home Together Film Series’ Reel Talk: MY OCTOPUS TEACHER

      January 16 @ 7:30 pm

      The Champlain Valley Film Series In order to help keep our community healthy, we won’t be showing … [Continue Reading]

      Click to enlarge.

      Essex Community Church Sunday Service

      January 17 @ 11:00 am At Essex Community Church

      In the spirit of fellowship and community that defines us, we welcome everyone who wants to celebrat… [Continue Reading]

      Click to enlarge.

      Essex Community Suppers

      January 17 @ 4:00 pm

      Join us for Community Supper — All are Welcome! Sundays, 4-5:30PM Free farm-to-table suppers — t… [Continue Reading]

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Society
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2021 Essex Editions

      loading Cancel
      Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
      Email check failed, please try again
      Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.