Port Townsend has a lot of interesting characters, human and otherwise. 

Consider the cougar which, like many humans, defies easy classification, or even one name. It’s also known as the puma or mountain lion.    

The cougar has more in common with a lion than it does a house cat, given its size: Males range from 120 to 220 pounds, and females from 64 to 140 pounds. 

At the same time, it purrs and hisses rather than roars, has kittens rather than cubs, and when startled, is far more likely to run and hide where you can’t find it than it is to confront you. 

But not always. Back in February a cougar attacked a bicyclist on a trail a few miles outside of Fall City. Localized social media has been abuzz with sightings, including photos, ever since. It is worrying, but should it be?  

That’s the main reason for jumping at the opportunity to provide a home for a Wild Neighbors, a column by Scott Doggett. He’s a journalist who has written about the outdoors for decades, which comes through in his column on page 7. Doggett interviewed Dr. Mark Elbroch, an expert on the species, who knows this area well.  

Doggett, who moved to Port Townsend with wife Susan four months ago, is one of nearly a dozen journalists, and retired journalists, I’ve met since I arrived. This is a group that is paying attention to what we do. They have really good ideas, and perhaps more than their fair share of criticism, because they know the industry. And I love to talk shop, meaning journalism in this case. 

But I've been struck, just generally, by the abundance of experts in this area. It’s one of the chief benefits of having a large community of retirees. There are very knowledgeable people of all ages. 

That tees me up to say that your thoughts and suggestions, and your criticism, is more than welcome. Send them to editor@ptleader.com with FEEDBACK in the header.  For best results, be constructive.

I’ll need two weeks to have a look. That’s how long I’ll be out of town. My first stop is a vacation on the books since 2017: I’m going to (carefully) watch the moon totally block the sun for nearly four minutes, weather permitting. Then I’ll begin the process of physically moving my life to Port Townsend. 

I’ll be back. Until then, be mindful of cougars.