U.S. proposes more lynx habitat

Federal wildlife managers have dramatically increased the amount of land they want to designate as critical habitat for the Canada lynx, a secretive forest cat and threatened species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it wants to designate 42,753 square miles in six states, including Idaho and Washington.

That’s more than 20 times the 1,841 square miles in three states the agency proposed in late 2006. At least one environmental group, however, is concerned that northeast Washington’s Kettle Range isn’t in the proposal.

Lynx survive almost exclusively on a diet of snowshoe hares. The cats have tufted ears, long legs and furry feet that help them navigate deep snow.

Lynx were trapped out of the Kettle Range in the mid-1970s, said Tim Coleman, campaign director for Conservation Northwest. According to surveys by state officials, it still has high populations of snowshoe hares, he said. “You’ve got the prey base, that’s the key,” Coleman said.

Fish and Wildlife officials said that although the Kettle Range appears to be high-quality habitat for lynx, there is no evidence that it has been occupied by a reproducing lynx in 20 years.

The agency believes it can recover lynx from the existing populations, without designating unoccupied areas as critical habitat, said Bryon Holt, a Fish and Wildlife biologist in Spokane.

Critical habitat is an area with features deemed essential for preserving threatened and endangered species. Federal land managers already consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife when they have projects that might harm lynx habitat, Holt said.

A critical habitat designation requires private landowners, under certain circumstances, to consult with the agency if their actions might affect lynx habitat, Holt said. That typically happens if the landowner’s proposed action requires a federal permit.

The proposed critical habitat for lynx includes a total of 11,304 square miles in Idaho’s Boundary County and Western Montana. An additional 2,000 square miles in Washington’s Chelan and Okanogan counties is included.

Fish and Wildlife is accepting public comments on the proposal until April 28.

The agency reconsidered its earlier rulings about the lynx and seven other species after allegations that Julie MacDonald, a deputy assistant secretary of the interior, interfered in the decisions. She has resigned.

States where land would now be designated as critical lynx habitat are Maine, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming.

Colorado, where state wildlife officials have been reintroducing lynx, was not included. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it was uncertain whether Colorado’s reintroduced lynx population would sustain itself.