Where Mountain Lions Roam
Presentation and Workshop
A female mountain lion checking a scrape.
Presentation: Where Mountain Lions Roam
Where: Lyons Community Library (451 4th Avenue, Lyons, CO 80540)
When: March 25, 2026, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sponsor: Town of Lyons Ecology Advisory Board
Mountain lions are the quiet architects of Colorado’s wild places. They move through the landscape largely unseen, shaping ecosystems not through noise or numbers, but through presence. After more than two decades of studying and filming mountain lions in completely wild places, I’ve learned that finding their activity isn’t about luck—it’s about learning how to read the land, slow down, and think like a lion. This presentation is an invitation to step into that mindset and begin seeing what has always been there.
Mountain lions possess a set of attributes and behaviors unlike any other carnivore in Colorado—solitary, wide-ranging, efficient, and deeply tied to terrain, prey movement, and seasonal conditions. As a keystone species, their influence extends far beyond their own survival, quietly shaping prey behavior, vegetation health, and overall ecosystem balance. When lions are present, the land functions differently—and more honestly.
We’ll explore how to recognize clear signs of mountain lion activity, including tracks, feces, scrapes, and fresh carcasses, and how each tells a different chapter of the story. We’ll look at how to choose productive areas to study and film mountain lions by understanding four natural factors that consistently guide their movement. I’ll also share what belongs in your pack, not just in terms of gear, but mindset—patience, humility, and curiosity are just as essential as boots and cameras. And finally, we’ll talk about staying safe in mountain lion country, not through fear, but through awareness, respect, and knowledge.
This isn’t about chasing an apex predator. It’s about learning to listen to the landscape—and letting the mountain lion reveal itself on its own terms.
David Neils Bio:
Wild Nature Media founder David Neils offers his events as an invitation to know wild places deeply and personally, the way one comes to know a trusted friend. These landscapes, especially the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness where he spent formative time alone as a child, shaped his life and continue to nourish his spirit. Through his work, he pays that gift forward, helping others build lasting, soulful connections with the natural world.
For more than twenty years, David has studied and filmed mountain lions across the rugged backcountry of Colorado and Montana, developing a four-factor tracking system that pinpoints lion activity throughout the United States, Canada, and Chile. Through his personalized Mountain Lion Workshops, mapping activity across areas up to 100 square miles, he equips others to understand and responsibly study this apex predator. Since 1971, he has also refined his “Ten Essentials Plus” backcountry system, designed to eliminate the “search” in Search and Rescue, and offers hands-on orienteering courses that give people the skills and confidence to travel boldly and safely in wild country.