Fossils have been key beneficiaries of these policies as parks increasingly recognize the value of these resources and the importance of paleontological research. The George Wright Society recently published proceedings of its biennial conference held during March 1999 in Asheville, North Carolina. The papers address many topics of importance in resource management and include partnerships, restoration, visitors and impacts, ecosystem management, coastal environments, building an inventory and monitoring program, vegetation dynamics, and managing scientific research, among others. The species' recovery and management depend on data from radio-collared individuals, particularly data about productivity and survival of kittens. Obtaining such information is tricky, because kittens must be examined in dens during the absence of their mothers.
Mothers are usually in the den during daylight hours and depart and arrive during dusk or dawn.
Formerly, an investigator had to be stationed near a den to detect the departure of the mother before data on the kittens could be collected. The amount of time and effort required for this made monitoring remote dens impractical. However, three researchers put cellular phone technology to work to remotely detect the absence of a mother lion in a den. Also in the listening post were an antenna and receiver used to pick up the signal pulse from the radio-collared female. The receiver, cellular phone, and the battery that supplied power for the telephone were placed inside a weatherproof case and located within 200 m of the den.