Conservationists reached a deal with federal wildlife officials to keep legal protections for the Canadian lynx
(Lynx canadensis) in place. The previous regime attempted to remove protection under the Endangered Species Act when the time for considering the effects of climate change on a species was shorted from 2100 to 2050 in 2018. The settlement was approved by a federal judge in Montana on Monday. Called the ghost of the forest, the elusive feline is a snow specialist with several cold weather adaptations. There are no reliable estimates of its population size. Their protected status has disrupted the plans of loggers and road builders in western states, leading to efforts to de-list the species. Lynx are found in Colorado and Maine with some occurring in Montana, Idaho, Minnesota and Washington state.
A new recovery plan is due in 2024 under the terms of the settlement approved by Judge Molloy sitting in Missoula, Montana. A previous estimate (2016) concluded that the lynx would disappear from some areas based upon the effects of climate change on snow pack at higher elevations. The same conclusion was reached for another snow specialist, the wolverine. But the agency said it is no longer seeking protections for the wolverine since it thinks enough snow will remain for the animals to den and reproduce. A lawsuit to reverse that wishful thinking is pending.
