On June 30th, California State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) presented Mountain Lion Foundation Board Chairman, Toby Cooper with a Senate resolution commemorating the Foundation’s “significant contributions” to the passage and implementation of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Proposition 117). The resolution recognizes the accomplishments achieved through Proposition 117, a landmark initiative passed by California voters twenty years ago. The initiative was the first to qualify for the statewide ballot strictly through the efforts of unpaid volunteers – many of which were, and remain, proud members of MLF.  It also classified mountain lions as a “specially protected mammal” in California thus safe from being killed for fun, and created the Habitat Conservation Fund which acquires and protects habitat for all of California’s wildlife.

MLF staff enjoyed visiting Senator Pavely’s office in the capitol, posing for pictures, and casually chatting about the new mountain lion kittens in the Santa Monica Mountains.  Senator Pavley also mentioned that in her district, “the Habitat Conservation Fund has helped acquire land and protect habitat and native species in areas including Topanga Canyon, Franklin Canyon Park, and Malibu Creek State Park just to name a few.”

More than 2.2 million acres of wildlife habitat have been protected in California because of Proposition 117.  The resolution is, in part, the State’s way of saying thank you to MLF’s dedicated volunteers who helped gather signatures and promote the passage of the initiative all those years ago.  Because of their efforts to protect wildlife, the Resolution notes “California now has the unique status as the state with the largest human population coexisting with the largest number of mountain lions.”

To learn more about the Mountain Lion Foundation and the Resolution, visit MountainLion.org