Lynx - Management History
MDIFW equips the first Canada lynx with a radio collar on March 26, 1999
- In 1997, information was not sufficient to determine if lynx qualified as threatened or endangered species under Maine’s Endangered Species Act
- Thus, lynx were considered a species of special concern.
- In 1999, MDIFW and the USFWS started a 12-year telemetry study of lynx in northern Maine.
- In 2000, lynx were Federally listed as threatened in Maine and 13 other states due to inadequate forest management on federal lands
- In 2006, lynx did not meet state listing criteria in Maine (exceed 500 adults), but remained a species of special concern
- Once bountied, lynx have been protected from harvest in Maine since 1967
- Lynx are sometimes accidentally caught in traps set for other furbearing species
- Catching a lynx in a trap is considered a “take” under the US Endangered Species Act
- Since 1999, MDIFW has modified trapping regulations and provide information to trappers to reduce the chance that lynx will be caught in traps.
- 45 lynx have been accidentally caught by trappers.
- Most lynx were release alive from the trap
- MDIFW has applied for an Incidental Take Permit and the USFWS has developed an Enviromental Assessment of our permit Application
- Both documents are open for public comment
- The USFWS, is also required under the US Endangered Species Act to designate Critical Habitat and a Recovery Plan for listed species
- Although a Recovery Plan is not available and Interim Recovery Plan Outline has been developed for lynx
- In 2009, the USFWS designated 6.4 million acres of Critical Habitat for lynx in northern Maine
- We are currently finalizing an assessment on the status of lynx in Maine
- This assessment will help guide conservation goals for lynx in Maine
Back to: Lynx - The Maine Story
