09/25/2026
We have sad news to share with the Mission Trails community.
CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife has confirmed that a mountain lion was struck and killed by a vehicle on State Route 67.
We do not know whether this mountain lion is the one that was recently seen several times in and around Mission Trails Regional Park. Mountain lions can travel long distances and have large territories, so it is possible, but it may also have been another lion moving through our region.
Either way, our hearts are heavy. đź’”
The recent sightings at Mission Trails have given us an extraordinary glimpse of a native predator moving through more than 8,000 acres of protected open space in the middle of a major city. This loss is also a painful reminder that wildlife needs more than protected habitat. Animals need safe, connected ways to move across a landscape increasingly divided by roads and development.
We also know that extreme heat, drought, wildfire and changing access to water and prey can influence where wildlife moves and how animals use the landscape. As our climate changes, understanding and protecting those connections becomes even more important.
That’s why our upcoming San Diego Climate Week event feels especially timely.
Join the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6PM at the Visitor Center for Mountain Lions in San Diego: Wildlife, Habitat and a Changing Climate, featuring longtime Mountain Lion Foundation field volunteer Robin Parks.
Robin has spent years helping communities better understand mountain lions and how to safely coexist with them. He’ll cover mountain lion biology and behavior, common myths and misinformation, safety, deterrence, California laws and policies and what to do if you encounter a lion.
This free event will also give us a chance to talk about the bigger questions raised by the recent sightings at Mission Trails: habitat, wildlife movement and what it takes to keep native species on the landscape in a growing and changing region.
Register here: https://luma.com/9zm0ipyt
