Scientific Research

The Cougar Network is fortunate to have Dr. Clay Nielsen, Director of Scientific Research, as a key member of its team. The Network is currently undertaking an ambitious habitat research study under his direction.

The habitat research goals of The Cougar Network are to better understand potential habitat quality and population viability of cougars in Midwestern North America. The Network is focusing this effort on the Midwest region because of the proximity of these states to established populations and the recent increase in cougar confirmations in this region. Our goal is not to predict potential "reintroduction sites," but to model dispersal corridors and suitable habitat for naturally re-colonizing cougars.

Initially, the Network will be using cougar literature, expert opinion from cougar experts, and remote sensing data to model cougar habitats. Models and maps created from these analyses will benefit scientists, wildlife managers, and the general public by providing predictions of cougar abundance and distribution in the Midwest. This project, titled "Potential Habitat for Cougars in Midwestern North America," has received funding thus far from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the Summerlee Foundation (www.summerlee.org), and the Shared Earth Foundation (www.sharedearth.org). We will periodically update the status of this project as we move forward on this exciting research.

The Cougar Network does not support outside scientists wishing to do cougar research. Rather, we conduct our own research. The Cougar Network is a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status. Hence, all financial contributions are tax deductible. The Network is currently pursuing grants for a number of research projects and is accepting individual contributions.

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