Tom Stienstra at the Chron has an interesting account of the encounter between two brothers and a couple of mountain lions in Pescadero Creek County Park, “a remote, lightly visited open space with no facilities”.
Residents in the vicinity of Loma Mar and La Honda have been warned. The was also another lion sighting just north of the park, but it’s not clear if it was one of the lions sighted Sunday.
They hiked on Camp Pomponio Road, which goes through middle of park, and about 10 minutes in, wandered a few hundred yards off the trail, Foy said.
Near a creek, in a clearing at the edge of a densely vegetated area, a mountain lion emerged and walked right up to one of the hikers.
“The hiker shouted aggressively, but the lion did not go away,” Foy said. “So he picked up a big stick and swung at the lion. His brother came to his side and a second lion started closing in.”
Foy said the hiker never struck either cougar but eventually “managed to drive off the lions.”
The hikers then started to return to their car, but looked back and saw the lions were following them. “You could see them the whole time,” one told game wardens. [...]
Although mountain lion attacks are rare, they have become more numerous in the past couple of decades. According to Fish and Game records, all but three of the confirmed attacks on people in California since 1890 have happened in the past 25 years.
The increase coincided with state voters’ approval of a 1990 initiative designating mountain lions as a protected species, even though they were not threatened or endangered. The lions filled existing habitat and then expanded their range, at the same time the human population was moving farther into previously open space.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier in Pacifica, Saturday, Mar 16 2:11pm, Barry Parr — I’m not interested in debating the issue here, but Kevin’s use of the quotes around the word “need” reminded me of these awesome charts from http://fivethirtyeight.com Gallup provided the verbatim responses of the rationales given by people who ...
Congresswoman Jackie Speier in Pacifica, Saturday, Mar 16 1:46pm, Kevin Barron — This should be interesting. I’m guessing she’ll pull her best Ginger Rogers, dancing in synch with the “need” for health care reform, and sashaying skirting around the “way” Obamacare is being pushed by Congress. I’m curious where she REALLY ...
Pacifica examines widening part of Hwy 1 to six lanes, Mar 15 9:49pm, Carl May — No, Route 1 does not become a freeway north of Reina del Mar in Pacifica. There is side traffic from the police station, the orchid nursery/GGNRA trailhead, Mori Point Road, and, especially, the dangerous intersection of Westport after RdM. Then ...
Pacifica examines widening part of Hwy 1 to six lanes, Mar 15 6:16pm, Barry Parr — We use the vet on that stretch of Hwy 1. A couple of years ago, we took Fireball to the vet. Julia was six and as soon as she got out of the car, she put her hands on her ears. I don’t blame her. I’ve been keeping track of sound levels in my ...
The Coastside's uninsured need your help, Mar 15 5:51pm, Suzanne Black — Excellent article, Cheryl. It brings home the national argument over health care reform. So much misinformation in the media and blogs! But it boils down to how we treat our neighbors—and our own and our families’ futures. Your advice is our best ...
Pacifica examines widening part of Hwy 1 to six lanes, Mar 15 5:23pm, Stephen Lowens — A few comments on the proposal to widen Highway 1 through Pacifica: Personal qualifications for these comments: A) 47 years of experience as a traffic engineer; licensed since 1975. B) Attendance at a seminar in El Granada on March 13, ...
Pacifica examines widening part of Hwy 1 to six lanes, Mar 15 3:08pm, Kevin Barron — The meeting is the first step to creating a Draft Environmental Impact Report. I’m curious if the draft EIR will include environmental impact of NOT widening the highway, given the pile of cars and trucks running on idle during the commute ...