saving an apex predator…

As is often the case for those pursuing an undergraduate degree, I was tasked with the delivery of a capstone project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for my Bachelor of Arts in Geography at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). As I have a great fondness for animals (especially cats), it made sense for me to focus my attention on the plight of the mountain lion (Puma concolor) population in the northwest Los Angeles area. Generally speaking, with regards to conservation status, mountain lions are not considered an “at-risk” species. However, the fragmentation of habitat in the region is such that there is a very high probability of local extirpation of the species in the not-so-distant future. This, of course, would have negative repercussions on the viability of the region’s metapoplulation. Not only would the absence of mountain lions be a loss in and of itself, but studies have shown that the removal of an ecosystem’s apex predator can have detrimental effects on the ecosystem as a whole. With this in mind, I took great interest in this process of discovery in the hopes that I might somehow be able to contribute to the local persistence of this magnificent and often misunderstood animal.

Puma concolor

My project, as detailed in this paper, encompassed two goals. The first was to identify the most desirable mountain lion habitat in the northwest Los Angeles area. This was accomplished by performing landscape characteristics analyses of 27 distinct current and previous mountain lion home ranges. The second was to determine potential locations for roadway crossings which would allow for less restricted movement between the fragmented patches of otherwise suitable habitat found in the area. Click here or on the image to the left to view.

This slide presentation was used as an accompaniment to the speech component of my capstone delivery. I feel that it not only provides a very good overview of the data and methodologies that were used in the project but it also nicely summarizes the aggregate results of the habitat landscape characteristics analyses. Click here or on the image to the left to view.

This poster was created as a final project for one of my GIS classes at CSUN. There is a considerable amount of similarity content-wise between the poster and the content that can be found in my capstone project. The reason for this is that this poster project served as a “proof-of-concept” for the capstone project that would unfold a year later. Click here or on the image to the left to view.