U.S. says lynx no longer need special protection
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife officials in the United States declared Canada lynx recovered Thursday and said the snowloving wildcats no longer need special protections following steps to preserve their habitat.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said it will begin drafting a rule to revoke the lynx’s threatened listing across the Lower 48 state under the Endangered Species Act. Wildlife advocates said they would challenge the move in court.
Imposed in 2000, the threatened designation has interrupted numerous logging and road building projects on federal lands, frustrating industry groups and Western lawmakers.
Some scientists and wildlife advocates have warned that climate change could reduce lynx habitat and the availability of its primary food source — snowshoe hares.
Thursday’s decision came after government biologists shortened their time span for considering climate change threats, from 2100 to 2050, because of what they said were uncertainties in long-term climate models.
An assessment by government biologists based on that shorter time span concluded lynx populations remain resilient and even have increased versus historical levels in parts of Colorado and Maine. Canada lynx are about the size of bobcats, but with huge paws to help them navigate deep snow.
The animals also are found in Montana, Minnesota, Idaho and Washington state.