Thinking Like a Catamount

How and where would a catamount travel through the Northeast today?

In a thoughtful essay for From the Ground Up, rewilding advocate John Davis invites readers to imagine our landscape through the eyes of a wide-ranging apex carnivore. From forested ridgelines to river valleys, from wildlife corridors to the dangers posed by roads and fragmentation, the piece explores what catamounts need to move safely across the Northeast — and what their absence reveals about the state of our ecosystems.

“Think Like a Cougar” reminds us that restoring catamounts is not just about bringing back a missing species. It’s about reconnecting habitats, rethinking land use, and repairing ecological relationships that have been broken for more than a century. When we plan for the needs of a catamount, we create healthier, more resilient landscapes for countless other species — including ourselves.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to read this powerful reflection and consider what it means for the future of our forests.

👉 Read “Think Like a Cougar” here: