By Teresa Rochester trochester@VenturaCountyStar.com March 18, 2005

Mike Kuhn was crouched close to the ground, training his camera on a wildflower alongside a trail in Happy Camp Canyon, blind to the mountain lion staring down his two hiking companions.

The cat ran off without incident that day, but Kuhn was left with a disturbing thought.

"In the position I was in, I probably looked like dinner," said Kuhn, the chairman of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District's Trailblazers, a group that builds trails, leads hikes and does outdoor education.

Tales of mountain lions and hikers encountering each other in the Simi Hills are not uncommon, Kuhn said. But he had never heard of any serious incidents.

To keep cat-human interactions safe, Kuhn's group will present a free lecture Saturday about living with mountain lions. The discussion comes on the heels of a rainy season that has left area hills filled with wildflowers that attract hikers and at a time when development is encroaching on the cats' territory.

"What they're going to learn about mountain lions are misconceptions, biology and behavior, and safety tips on what to do if they encounter a mountain lion," said Christa Mann of the Mountain Lion Foundation, who will be giving the lecture. "That's especially important as we get into the hiking, biking and camping season."

Mountain lions are quickly disappearing from this area. Two of the cats died in December from internal bleeding caused by an anticoagulant in rat poison, according to the National Park Service officials.

The death of those two cats, named P3 and P4, leaves only four kittens and two adults, mountain lion watchers believe. v Along with poisoning, breeding is made more difficult because the corridors the cats traveled have been cut. None of the mountain lions will cross Highway 118 or Highway 101, Mann said.

At the same time, the remaining cats all live in the same area, north of Highway 118, and male mountain lions are territorial by nature.

That could mean the adult male mountain lion may harm or kill any male kittens as they get older.

Cutting off corridors also decreases the diversity of lions, leading to inbreeding, which, in turn, could lead to weakened immune systems, Mann said.

Saturday's talk will be free and open to the public. After the lecture, there will be a discussion on how people and wildlife can coexist. The lecture will take place in Room B at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District headquarters, 1962 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley. The talk will start at 2 p.m.

For more information, call 584-4400.