Senate bill would pilot ‘tree-and-free’ hazing program in El Dorado County after fatal mountain lion attack

Senate Bill 818, by Sen. Susan Alvarado Gill, would create a pilot “tree-and-free” program in El Dorado County that authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife to register and permit trained, authorized houndsmen to haze mountain lions deemed a threat to livestock, domestic animals or public safety and to collect data on that program’s effectiveness.

The bill’s author said the measure responds to a March 2024 attack in which two brothers were contacted by a mountain lion; one brother was killed and the other seriously injured. “This is not about hunting lions; this is about finding a middle ground of coexistence with wildlife and with human life,” Senator Alvarado Gill told the committee. She said the bill is limited to El Dorado County and would require the department to develop registration criteria and oversight with local partners including the sheriff and the county agricultural commissioner.

Supporters — including El Dorado County…