LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State officials are considering whether to resume a mountain lion hunting season in Nebraska next year, a move likely to generate intense debate.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has set a public hearing for the proposal on June 22 at Mid-Plains Community College in Ogallala.

The proposed season would let hunters harvest up to eight mountain lions in two designated areas of northwest Nebraska’s Pine Ridge region.

State biologists say the number of adult and kitten mountain lions increased to 59 last year, compared to as many as 33 during the last official hunting season in 2014. They say the population is now established enough to sustain a harvest.

Sen. Ernie Chambers, of Omaha, has fought to eliminate mountain lion hunting in Nebraska the last few years.