USFWS proposes critical habitat for Lynx
Public comment accepted until Feb 7
November 30, 2005
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to designate nearly 13,000 acres for critical habitat for the federally threatened Canada lynx. The areas affected include nearly 11,000 acres in the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana and 2,000 acres in Washington's Chelan and Okanogan counties. Portions of Lincoln County in northwest Montana are included in the proposed designation area. U.S. Forest Service lands in Idaho, Montana and Washington are not included in this proposal, although their area is reflected in the total number of square miles.
Public comment on the proposal is being accepted on the proposal until Feb. 7 with a final critical habitat determination scheduled by Nov. 1, 2006. The proposed rule was prepared pursuant to a court order resulting from a lawsuit filed against the federal agency by the Defenders of Wildlife and others. The court order requires the USFWS to propose critical habitat for the Canada lynx by Nov. 1, 2005 and issue a final determination by Nov. 1, 2006.
The Canada lynx was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act throughout its range in the contiguous United States in 2000. The lynx currently lives in boreal forests in five geographic regions: the Northeast, the Great Lakes, the Northern Rocky Mountains, the Southern Rocky Mountains, and the Cascade Mountains. The USFWS is proposing to designate areas in four of these regions as critical habitat.
Areas proposed as critical habitat for the Canada lynx include boreal forest landscapes that provide beneficial habitat elements for the lynx, including snowshoe hares for prey and abundant large, woody debris piles that are used as dens. All proposed areas have recent verified records of lynx occurrence and reproduction and thus are considered occupied.
The areas proposed for designation include:
Northern Rockies:
Montana and Idaho: approximately 10,760 square miles in portions of Boundary County, Idaho; and Flathead, Glacier, Granite, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Missoula, Pondera, Powell, and Teton counties in Montana.
Northeast:
Maine - approximately 10,633 square miles in portions of Aroostook, and Franklin, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Somerset counties.
Great Lakes:
Minnesota: approximately 3,546 square miles in portions of Cook, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis counties.
Cascades:
Washington: approximately 1,996 square miles in portions of Chelan and Okanogan counties.
Lynx are medium-sized cats, generally measuring 30-35 inches long and weighing 18-23 pounds. They have tufts on their ears, short, black-tipped tails, and large, well-furred feet and long legs for traversing snow. Lynx are highly specialized predators of snowshoe hare and are strongly associated with boreal forest habitat, which individual lynx require large portions of to support their home ranges.
A copy of the proposed rule and other information about the Canada lynx is available on the web at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/mammals/lynx
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