Sportsmen and property rights advocates take notice: the Canada lynx issue is far from over, and much of the controversy of the status of this species in the United States may just be in its infancy.
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reversed seven rulings of additional protection for species under the Endangered Species Act, including one which denied critical habitat designation for Canada lynx in the state of Maine.
The original decision regarding critical habitat designation was made because the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that landowners in the state were already managing their land to the benefit of lynx, and that critical habitat designation would do nothing to further protect the species.
However, the decision not to list critical habitat has been called to question, after an investigation recealed that Julie MacDonald, who oversaw the USFWS, pressured scientists to alter their findings in a number of cases.
This unfortunate incident will cause the Service to take another look at the critical habitat designation ruling, and may result in more government control over private land designated as lynx habitat. Stay tuned.
Read more about lynx issues in Maine at Tom Remington’s Black Bear Blog
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