(The Center Square) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to take action to protect the threatened Canada lynx population in the continental United States.
The Service proposed changes to its current critical habitat designation that would cover 19,112 square miles across several states, including Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and Wyoming.
“These actions ensure the long-term survival of this elusive, snow-adapted wildcat that relies on cold boreal forests and abundant snowshoe hares for survival,” a news release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
The proposed change would attempt to balance conservation and land-use priorities, the release said. It comes following a court-ordered review. It would update the 2014 designation in the western United States by cutting areas where lynx are “unlikely to thrive” while adding additional lands the federal government sees as better suited to the animal’s needs, according to the release.
Nothing in this plan impacts the designated critical habitat in Maine or Minnesota.