The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) has been ‘listed’ by Washington state and federal agencies as threatened with extinction (in 1993 and 2000 respectively). In response, DNR developed a landscape approach to protect the lynx and its habitat on state trust lands. Since 1996, DNR has implemented its Lynx Habitat Management Plan — one of the most comprehensive conservation plans for lynx in the United States.
The plan guides DNR’s forest activities to help create and preserve high-quality lynx habitat. It allows DNR to meet state and federal lynx requirements while at the same time managing state trust lands to provide revenue through timber harvests, and carrying out other land management objectives.
One of the challenges was finding out more about the lynx, the health of the animals, and their home range and activities. A cooperative research project was set up four years ago to do just that. The objective was designed to provide a better understanding of how lynx use certain habitats throughout the year, and how past and future land management activities may affect individual lynx and the overall lynx population in Washington. To accomplish this, DNR and its partners work each winter to track and capture the lynx, radio-collar the animal animals (for GPS tracking) and examine and chart their health. To keep the lynx in the traps as short a time as possible, they check the live traps daily, driving up to 60 miles a day on snowmobiles.
The cooperative project has successfully collared and tracked nine male lynx across broad areas of northeastern Washington. The females have been followed but eluded the crews so far.
DNR has been a significant contributor to the cooperative research project. For support, the agency has provided biologists Scott Fisher and Matt Marsh who, with the help of partner agencies and groups, conduct the daily trapping and collaring activities. In addition DNR provides snowmobiles and fuel to access the study area. DNR also builds and maintains the live traps for capturing lynx, and supplies other logistical support to keep a challenging endeavor moving successfully over four winter seasons.
Read more:
DNR news release: State DNR Biologist receives The Wildlife Society Special Achievement Award
Wenatchee World: Loomis lynx study captures ninth cat — still no female (article also appears in the Seattle Times)
