California authorities are trying to apprehend the individual or individuals responsible for killing a mountain lion believed to have genetic ties to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Excellent wildlife habitat in the form of rugged woodlands and rocky outcrops has been added to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area thanks to the purchase of 160 acres in Los Angeles County.

With time running down on the public's opportunity to comment on a proposal to add another unit to the National Park System in California, the National Parks Conservation Association is suggesting that the effort result in an enlarged Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

It's long been known, and feared, that habitat fragmentation can create biological islands that require heavy human intervention to prevent genetic dead-ends. That was the driver between the Yellowstone-to-Yukon initiative, the dilemma faced by the Florida panther, and now being displayed at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California.