Canada Lynx May Win Back Critical Habitat Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released revised plans to establish critical habitat for Canada lynx in Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. The new habitat protection plan is in response to an investigation that found that a Bush administration political appointees interfered with the scientific process in the original decision. "The possibility of stronger protection for the Canada lynx is welcome news," said Tara Thornton, Northeast representative for the Endangered Species Coalition, a national network of hundreds of conservation, scientific, religious, sporting, outdoor recreation, business and community organizations. Today’s proposal would add 40,913 square miles to the 1,841 square miles of critical habitat for the lynx proposed previously, bringing the total to 42,753 square miles. The new rule may have an impact on land use decisions and development in the affected states....
Canada lynx "critical habitat" leaves Colorado out of it again Colorado has again been left out of the "critical habitat" area for the Canada lynx, despite the state's effort to bring back the threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday proposed an expanded territory for the reclusive cat across the northern Rockies. Colorado's reintroduced population of an estimated 125 lynx was not yet "biologically sustainable," the agency said. Conservationists said not having a critical habitat designation, which requires federal and private landowners to take into consideration the impact of land-use activities on species recovery, was a setback. "The whole point of critical habitat is recovery, and we're not going to recover the lynx if we don't have adequate protection," said Josh Pollock, conservation director for the Center for Native Ecosystems. The state Division of Wildlife said a critical habitat designation would have little effect on the reintroduction effort, which suffered a setback last spring when no new kittens were believed to have been born....