U. S. SAYS SNOW-LOVING LYNX NO LONGER NEED SPECIAL PROTECTION

Wildlife officials in the United States declared Canada lynx recovered on Thursday and said the snow- loving wild cats no longer need special protections. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it will begin drafting a rule to revoke the lynx’s threatened listing across the Lower 48 state. Wildlife advocates said they would challenge the move. First imposed in 2000, the designation has interrupted num- erous logging and road building projects on federal lands, frustrating industry groups and Western lawmakers. Thursday’s decision came after government biologists shortened their time span for considering climate change threats, from 2100 to 2050. An assessment by government biologists based on that shorter time span concluded lynx populations remain resilient.