From Mountain Tops to Backyards:
Cougar Ecology and Behavior in the Pacific Northwest
by Brian Kertson
The cougar is one of the most adaptable and successful large carnivores on the planet. With a range that extends from northern British Columbia to the southern tip of South America, cougars inhabit a diverse array of ecosystems, including those with an extensive human presence. In Washington, cougars employ their trademark adaptability in both wild and developed landscapes to fulfill their role as an apex predator, sometimes close to people.
Please join WDFW carnivore research scientist, Brian Kertson, for an informative presentation on the ecology and behavior of cougars in an increasingly urban world. You will learn how Washington’s cougars navigate both wildlands and residential development, what they eat, how their populations function, how they compete with other large carnivores, how much time they spend close to people, and tips for coexistence where you live and recreate.
Brian Kertson is a wildlife research scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife responsible for conducting carnivore investigations. In his role as the agency’s principal carnivore researcher, Brian has led studies of cougar wildland-urban ecology in western Washington and the predator-prey dynamics of cougars, wolves, and their ungulate prey in managed landscapes of eastern Washington. Prior to joining WDFW, Brian researched the predator-prey dynamics of wolves and elk in Idaho as a senior wildlife research biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and cougar wildland-urban ecology in Washington as a post-doctoral researcher with the University of Washington. Brian has more than 20 years of cougar research experience and holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Forest Resources (Wildlife Science) from the University of Washington where he is also an affiliate assistant professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences working with graduate students on a variety of carnivore research projects throughout Washington.
