In partnership with the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association (SIHA) as they kick off their summer Sawtooth Forum and Lecture Series in Ketchum. Join The Community Library for a talk with wildlife biologist Maurice Hornocker about his work, “Cougars on the Cliff: One Man’s Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion.”

North America’s biggest cat was once killed for bounty dollars, slaughtered with impunity and driven toward extinction. But today’s cat of intrigue, despite our lingering fears and misconceptions, has returned to much of its native range in the western United States and gained respect as a predator integral and necessary to wild ecosystems. This turnaround was triggered by Maurice Hornocker and his research that tracked lions following scent hounds and cat tracks in the snow — before telemetry was available. Hornocker was first to learn that mountain lions living in stable populations limit their own numbers through territoriality and a concept he called “mutual avoidance.” This insight flew in the face of long-held beliefs that cougars were prolific and wanton killers that needed to be controlled as vermin. Thanks to Hornocker’s work, today cougars can be found throughout the West and have even started to reclaim their place in eastern United States.

Maurice Hornocker is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America’s most enigmatic predator — the mountain lion. He is the 2024 recipient of the internationally prestigious Aldo Leopold Memorial Award, bestowed annually by The Wildlife Society to one scientist in recognition of a career devoted to wildlife conservation. A story of redemption, this memoir is about the never-before-told adventures, challenges and controversies surrounding Hornocker’s groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of North America.

This program will be livestreamed and available to watch later on the Library’s Event Archive. Registration recommended to join us in person, and registration required to receive the Vimeo link to watch online.