Catamount Conversations: Reimagining a Wild Future for the Northeast

Catamounts—also known as cougars, pumas, or mountain lions—once played a vital ecological role in the forests of the Northeast. For millennia, they helped shape Northeastern landscapes in a myriad of ways including regulating prey populations, supporting forest regeneration, and enhancing biodiversity. Today, they are considered extirpated from the region.

This presentation explores the past, present, and potential future of catamounts in the Northeast through three real-world case studies. These stories help illuminate the historical forces that led to their disappearance, the ecological and landscape barriers that remain for their recovery in the region, and examples of successful coexistence with mountain lions in other parts of the country.

The talk concludes with an overview of a new, science-driven initiative to explore the ecological, social, and conservation feasibility of restoring catamounts to the Northeast—and what it would take to thoughtfully and responsibly bring this iconic species home.

Renee Seacor is the Northeast Rewilding Director at Mighty Earth, where she leads efforts to explore the reintroduction of catamounts to the forests of the Northeast. She previously served as Carnivore Conservation Director for Project Coyote and has spent her career advocating for wildlife and wild places through litigation, policy, field research, and public outreach. Renee holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College and a J.D. with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Oregon, with professional experience ranging from field research in Montana’s Yellowstone River ecosystem to state and federal policy work advancing endangered species protection, water quality, and climate resilience.

This event is co-sponsored by SAAS and the Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.