Smoky Mountain News

Dr. Ron Sutherland will give a presentation on the eastern cougar at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 as part of the every Thursday Zahner Conservation Lectures at the Highlands Nature Center.

“Eastern Cougar: Their ecological importance and prospects for recovery in the southeast,” will be Sutherland’s topic. Recently, the US Fish & Wildlife Service declared the Eastern cougar to be extinct, closing the door on decades of sporadic sightings up and down the Appalachian Mountains. The loss of the cougar poses challenges to maintaining the biodiversity of recovering wildlands. Sutherland will review recent evidence suggesting the importance of cougars and options for restoring cougars to the Southeast.

All Zahner Conservation Lectures are free and open to the public. www.highlandsbiological.org or call 828.526.2221.