Should you come across the elusive Canada lynx in the Arrowhead, be aware that they're in one of five parts of the United States designated as "critical habitat" for a wild cat in danger of extinction. On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's final rule designating prime lynx territory went into effect. The lynx thrives in large tracts of boreal forest, where it can find its favorite meal, snowshoe hares, and "persistent deep, fluffy snow," which the tufted-ear cats can navigate better than bobcat and other hare predators, according to the agency.
The designation of critical lynx habitat in Minnesota, Maine, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington followed a lawsuit by environmental advocates to boost the protection of lynx, which have been listed as "threatened" since 2000. The designation could affect timber harvesting and other activities on public lands, which make up about 85 percent of the 8,069-square-mile critical habitat in Minnesota, but it won't interfere with development on private land unless it requires a federal wetlands permit.
So how many lynx remain in the United States? No one really knows. Wild cats are notoriously hard to spot, and most evidence points to a very small population of lynx. The Fish & Wildlife fact sheet doesn't even venture a guess. Nor do a number of wildlife advocacy groups. Only 63 confirmed sightings of lynx were documented in Minnesota from 2000 to 2006, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
