Our History

In 2003, there were no ongoing studies of mountain lions in Colorado. Fortuitous timing brought together Dr. Hunter and Caroline Krumm, as both had initiated live animal research studies: Under the direction of Dr. Mike Miller with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Caroline undertook a Masters project to determine whether or not mountain lion selectively preyed upon deer infected with chronic wasting disease. Based on Dr. Hunter's experience with snow leopards in Central Asia while with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, he was asked by Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to assess the general ecology of mountain lions in the park, especially urgent following the tragic death of young boy in the park from a mountain lion attack. Both studies called for the capture and radio-collaring of mountain lions. With overlapping common objectives, the two studies combined forces as they took on the challenges of mountain lion capture and monitoring. The combined study area spanned the Front Range from the east side of RMNP to the Wyoming border.

In 2007, less than four years into the planned 7-10 year studies, agency priorities shifted and funding came to an end. Though the studies ended early, they produced meaningful results and brought the mountain lion to the attention of Front Range communities thirsty for more knowledge about Colorado's top predator.

Snow Leopard

In 2008, with an end to the demanding and time-consuming radio-collaring work, Caroline founded the Rocky Mountain Cat Conservancy (RMCC) a non profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wild cats worldwide but especially targeting mountain lions and snow leopards.   RMCC operated under a larger non-profit, The Cat Action Treasury, from 2008 until 2012 when they applied for and received 501(c)(3) status.  RMCC was founded to promote wild cat conservation through research, education, and community outreach. Although the mountain lion (Felis concolor) is one of the top three North American predators, along with the grizzly bear and wolf, wildlife biologists have conducted surprisingly few studies on this keystone species. With human-mountain lion encounters on the rise, there is much to learn about this elusive cat, especially along the urban-wildland interface where critical habitat is ever-decreasing. RMCC sprang from growing community interest and the belief that a higher degree of human-mountain lion coexistence can be achieved through proactive, strategic research, education, and community engagement. It's first hallmark project, Communities, Cameras and Conservation (CCC), proved an innovative approach to include community participation in research by using remote cameras to monitor wildlife in local parks. CCC participants have collected thousands of images of wildlife (see Images Gallery) that collectively help resource managers assess trends in endemic animals. CCC heralded a new era of for advancing wildlife conservation through non-invasive methods that cause little or no disturbance to the animal. CCC received awards in teaching, featured on news programs, and touched the lives of hundreds eager to help keep the mountain lion a viable part of the environment.

In addition to CCC, RMCC conducted seminars on mountain lion ecology and taught related classes to students from elementary to college. From the beginning, RMCC has maintained a close connection to natural resource agencies and other non-profits with similar objectives (see Partners). And Dr. Hunter has continued to conduct collaborative research on snow leopard in Central Asia, through its partnership with the Snow Leopard Conservancy.

2011 to 2021, RMCC and its partners, especially the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, shared with the public: Wild x Wild - Photographs of Wildlife by Wildlife.  Wild x Wild was free, a public gallery of the year's most dramatic images. Covid abruptly ended the program, but RMCC hopes to re-engage it in 2025.

In 2018, RMCC partnered with CSU's Drone Center to prepare for a research study using thermal-equipped drones to census the wild prey of mountain lions and snow leopards. This exciting project successfully detected wild ungulates in Colorado and Mongolia's Ick Nart Nature Reserve.

In 2022, after a two year delay caused by the Covid pandemic, a second phase of the study in Mongolia proved even more successful and helped to establish drones as highly promising tools for valuable tools in wildlife conservation (see Technical Publications below and Videos).

In 2024, RMCC collaborated with the Drone Center to test the limits of drones for detecting small targets, in this case bobolinks. At The Nature Conservancy's Carpenter Ranch in western Colorado the team successfully located and monitored over 40 nests. This project accomplished a significant milestone in using drones to detect small wildlife.

In 2025, RMCC and Drone Center staff will conducted tests in Colorado linked to the continued vetting of drones for ungulate censusing in Mongolia. This fall the US team will join the Mongolian team to carry out the third phase of tests to access ungulate populations with drones.

Mountain Lion

Popular Publications

Hunter, Don. 2022. Wind Horses. Nature Tech Institute, Fort Collins, Colorado. 254 Pages.

Hunter, Don. 2012. Snow Leopard: Stories from the Roof of the World. University of Colorado Press, Boulder, Colorado. August 2012. 190 pages.

Hunter, Don O. 2005. Multi-agency partnership brings mountain lion research to Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado Front Range. Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly-Summer 2005. Estes Park, CO.

Hunter, Don O. 2005. People, Parks, and Pumas…and Prions. People, Land and Water. Department of the Interior. September 2005.

Hunter, D.O. 2000. The Snow Leopard – elusive Himalayan cat helps build support for biodiversity among the “noisy kingdoms.” People, Land & Water. Department of Interior. January, 2000.

Hunter, D. O. 1993. Fly-in shopping--the Cabela’s superstore caters to pilots. Private Pilot. October 52-55.

Hunter, D. O. 1991. Science and spirit: GIS tracks the elusive snow leopard. Geo Info Systems, January 1991. Aster Publishing Corp., Eugene, OR. pp 20-28.

Technical Publications

Rodney M. Jackson, Bayaraa Munkhtsog, Bariushaa Munkhtsog, Ben Hunter, Daniel Rice, Don O. Hunter. 2024. Harnessing Drones for Snow Leopard Prey Surveys. Snow Leopard Reports.

Hunter, Don, Rodney Jackson, Bariushaa Munkhtsog, Bayaraa Munkhtsog, Ben Hunter. 2024. Drones for Snow Leopard Conservation. In, Snow Leopards: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. pp 429-435. Thomas McCarthy, David Mellon, Karin R. Schwartz, eds. Elsevier, London, UK. 665 pp.

Hunter, Don, Kyle McCarthy, Tom McCarthy. 2016. Snow Leopard Research: A Historical Perspective. In, Snow Leopards: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. pp 345-353. Thomas McCarthy, David Mellon, Philip J. Nyhus, eds. Elsevier, London, UK. 644 pp.

Krumm, Caroline E., Mary M. Conner, N. Thompson Hobbs, Don O. Hunter, and Michael W. Miller. 2010. Mountain lions prey selectively on prion-infected mule deer. Biol Lett. 2010; 6:209-211.

Hunter, Don O., Caroline Kumm, and Duggins Wroe. 2008. Mountain lion ecology in Rocky Mountain National Park--summary report 2004-2007. National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park, Internal Report, May 2008. 22 pages.

Hunter, Don O. and Juliette T. Wilson, eds. 2006. Environmental Conservation Online System—Scope, Capability, Applications. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Internal Report, October 2006. 34 pages.

Jackson, Rodney M., Jerry D. Roe, Rinchen Wangchuk, and Don O. Hunter. 2006. Estimating Snow Leopard Population Abundance Using Photographic Identification and Capture-Recapture Techniques. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(3): pp 772-781.

Krumm, C. E., D. O. Hunter and M. W. Miller. 2005. Mountain lion research in Colorado’s Northern Front Range: testing new global positioning system (GPS) technology. 8th Mountain Lion Workshop. Leavenworth, WA.

Jackson, Rodney M., Jerry Roe, Richen Wanchok and Don O. Hunter. 2005. Camera Trapping Snow Leopards. IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, Cat News (Pages 19-21).

Jackson, Rodney M., Jerry Roe, Richen Wanchok and Don O. Hunter. 2005. Surveying snow leopard populations with emphasis on camera trapping: A handbook. The Snow Leopard Conservancy, Sanoma, CA (73 pages).

Hunter, D.O. 1999. Avian response to landscape change in the inter-mountain west. Ph.D. Dissertation. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

Hunter, D. O. and R. Jackson. 1997. A range-wide model of potential snow leopard habitat. In Proceedings, Eight International Snow Leopard Symposium. World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan.

Ahmad, I., D.O. Hunter, and R. Jackson. 1997. A snow leopard and prey species survey in Khunjerab National Park, Pakistan. In Proceedings, Eight International Snow Leopard Symposium. World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan.

Jackson, R., D.O. Hunter, and C. Emmerich. 1997. SLIMS—an information and management system for promoting conservation and biodiversity in the mountains of Central Asia. In Proceedings, Eight International Snow Leopard Symposium. World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan.

Jackson, R. and D. O. Hunter. 1996. Snow leopard survey and conservation handbook. International Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA. 154 pp.

Hunter, D. O. et al. 1995. Project snow leopard - a model for conserving central Asian biodiversity. In Proceedings, Seventh International Snow Leopard Symposium. International Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, Washington.

Hunter, D.O. 1993. GRASS aids wildlife studies in India. In Proceedings Seventh Annual GRASS Users Conference. Technical Report National Park Service/NRGISD/NRTR-93/13. pp. 23-31.

Hunter, D. O. 1992. GIS (GRASS) aids wildlife studies in India. In Proceedings, National Park Service GIS Conference. NPS Denver Service Center, Denver, CO.

Prasad, S.N., R.S. Chundawat, D.O. Hunter, H.S. Panwar, and G.S. Rawat. 1991. Remote sensing snow leopard habitat in the trans-Himalaya of India using spatial models and satellite imagery: preliminary results. Proceedings 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Technology in Natural Resource Management, November 1990. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. February 1991.

Douglas, D.C., J.R. Gilbert, and D.O. Hunter. 1991. Evaluation of airborne videography for enumerating Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) on sea-ice haulouts. Proceedings 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Technology in Natural Resource Management, November 1990. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. February 1991.

Hunter, D. O., et al. 1988. Integrated information technology for natural resource management. In Proceedings International Symposium on Advanced Technology in Natural Resource Management. Fort Collins, CO. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. June 1988. pp. 109-120.

Buhyoff, G.J., W.B. White, T.C. Daniel, T.C., and D.O. Hunter. 1988. Integrated computer decision support for forest impact assessment a conceptual framework and example. Artificial Intelligence Applications in Natural Resource Management. Vol 2, No. 4, pp. 37-42.

Hunter, D.O. 1986. Geographic Information System for assessing sensitive species/superfund sites; New Jersey pilot project. In Proceedings Geographic Information Systems Workshop. American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. April 1-4, 1986. Atlanta, GA. pp. 227-237.

Burky, P.L., R.R. Ader, and D.O. Hunter. 1984. The use of geographic information systems to analyze remotely sensed data in the U.S. Department of the Interior. In Proceedings The World Conference on Remote Sensing, Bayrenth, West Germany.

Daniel, T.C., W.B. White, and D.O. Hunter. 1983. Integrated pest impact assessment system: an interface to a forest management information system. USDA Forest Service, Forest Pest Management, Methods Application Group, Fort Collins, CO. Rpt. 84-2.

Pence, R., W.M. Ciesla, and D.O. Hunter. 1983. Geographic information system - a computer assisted approach to managing forest pest data. USDA Forest Service, Forest Pest Management Methods Application Group, Fort Collins, CO. Rpt. 84-1.

Hunter, D.O. 1983. Map overlay and statistical system (MOSS): a geographic information system for natural resource management. In Proceedings Organization of Wildlife Planner's Fifth Annual Meeting. Nashville, TN.

Hunter, D.O. and S. Montgomery. 1982. Computer assisted resource management: a technical solution to complex management. In Proceedings Thorne Ecological Institute Symposium on Issues and Technology in Management of Impacted Western Wildlife. Steamboat Springs, CO.