Program Description
Event Details
Mountain Lions
Puma Concolor in the Urban-wildlands Interface of Southern New England
Presented by Bill Betty
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This exciting program will provide listeners with basic information about cougar biology and behavior. Attendees will find the latest research on cougar social interaction fascinating. Bill’s thrilling accounts of his close encounters and sightings with these charismatic apex predators in Rhode Island over the last 50 years will be of special interest to those who have had similar experiences in Southern New England.
Tips and techniques to use when encountering a mountain lion in the wild or your backyard, will be of special interest to birder, hikers and outdoor door enthusiasts. Audience members will be encouraged to share their experiences with these large cats native to New England.
A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.
About the Presenter:
Bill Betty is a citizen scientist and resident of Rhode Island who has spent nearly 25 years documenting the recolonization of eastern states by mountain lions. He is generally regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people in North America regarding puma concolor couguar in the Northeast.
Bill has given more than 350 programs in 8 states and 2 Canadian provinces. During his lifetime he has accumulated more than a dozen personal sightings and close encounters with pumas. One of those encounters was at a distance of six inches, and after 5 years of no activity Bill’s neighbors are reporting finding large cat tracks, deer kills and sightings of cougars again within a mile of his home.