In the Green Mountain State, a bold vision to restore a long-lost icon of the wilderness has sparked something of a heated debate. Mountain lions, referred to locally as catamounts, once roamed Vermont's forests until their extirpation in the late 1800s. The eastern subspecies was federally declared extinct in 2018, and no verified breeding population or conclusive evidence of presence exists in the state today, outside of the occasional unverified sightings often attributed to misidentifications or escaped captives.
Enter Mighty Earth, an international environmental nonprofit focused on protecting nature, restoring wildlife, and rewilding landscapes. Through its aptly named "Bring Catamounts Home" campaign, the group is advocating for the return of mountain lions to Vermont as a keystone species. Their website describes the effort as one that would "deepen Vermont’s wilderness, inspire awe, and offer future generations of Vermonters a symbol of what’s possible when we choose to restore wildlife and invest in truly wild places."
Pointing to the ecological benefits apex predators provide, advocates believe that mountain lions could help regulate overabundant deer populations, and thus, reduce vehicle collisions, crop damage, and tick-borne diseases like Lyme, which have risen in the predator's absence across the Northeast. Public support appears strong in some surveys, with one indicating Vermonters favoring restoration by a 12-to-1 ratio among those with strong opinions. The campaign, led by Northeast Rewilding Director Renee Seacor, has included public talks, virtual events, and outreach to policymakers, framing reintroduction as a step toward a healthier, more balanced ecosystem.
Bruce Wright, New Brunswick wildlife biologist and author, with what is believed to be the last eastern puma. The puma was trapped by Rosarie Morin of St. Zacharie, Quebec in Somerset County, Maine in 1938. | Northeastern Wildlife Station/via Bangor Daily News
A key legislative push came with H.473, introduced in the Vermont House in 2025 by Rep. Austin of Colchester. The bill would direct the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on reintroducing catamounts. It would examine methods of reintroduction, suitable locations, strategies for managing human-wildlife conflicts, success metrics, an estimated timeline, and costs. The study would report findings to relevant legislative committees by January 1, 2027, serving as an exploratory first step without committing to actual reintroduction.
Despite all of the happenings, state wildlife officials are sounding a clear note of caution about the possible reintroduction. Earlier this week, in an op-ed titled "Slow Down for Mountain Lions," co-authored by VFWD Commissioner Jason Batchelder, Chief of Operations Andrea Shortsleeve, Wildlife Division Director John Austin, Outreach Division Director Alison Thomas, and Game Warden Service Director Justin Stedman, the department urged advocates to "pump the brakes." While they acknowledged the appeal of a "wilder Vermont" and the dream of restoring a native large carnivore, they also made it clear that reintroduction would be "much more complicated than it might appear."
In the op-ed, officials point to a host of unknowns including habitat suitability in modern Vermont, impacts on deer and other prey, risks to livestock and pets, effects on outdoor recreation (hikers, trail users), and potential human safety issues, even though attacks remain extremely rare. Outside of those concerns, officials noted that given Vermont's small size and shared borders, neighboring states like New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts and even Quebec would be required to participate to some degree as male lions have been known to wander hundreds of miles.
They describe Mighty Earth's suggested timeline of having "paws on the ground in four years" as "unrealistic" and argue that jumping to a feasibility study without foundational, peer-reviewed research specific to the Northeast is "putting the cart before the horse." The Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies has echoed similar concerns, stressing the need for cross-border buy-in to avoid jeopardizing success or straining relations.
VFWD stresses its mission to care for Vermont's species and habitats on behalf of residents, maintaining no absolute position on reintroduction yet but insisting any effort must be grounded in science, community dialogue, and adequate resources—none of which currently exist for managing such a predator in the state.
“Without our region’s complete buy-in, reintroduction will not end well for us, our neighbors or the mountain lions,” the op-ed read. “So, for the sake of the cats, we are imploring mountain lion advocates to pump the brakes.”
Whether science, dialogue, and regional consensus eventually pave the way for catamounts' return - or if the idea remains a symbol of what's lost - remains an open question in Vermont's evolving relationship with its wild heritage.
