Canadian Lynx Synthesis

INTRODUCTION The majestic, healthy Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) population still roams much of Canada and Alaska. But in 1973, the Lynx was put on the Endangered Species list for being hunted and poisoned in the United States. ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has listed the Lynx as threatened in Colorado. (IUNC Red List, 2015). The reintroduction of the Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) back into Colorado is important because the Lynx has the most southern historical natural population in the United States. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Not being able to keep that habitat border for this animal would be an unpleasant poke in the eye for the state that is suppose to be on the rise in environmental and ecological

Modeling is an important tool to test if the reintroduced animal has a chance to succeed and thrive in an area where it vanished. Factors that we now know can be but into that model, such as the relationship that the lynx has with its keystone prey, the Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus). Prey abundance is an important factor in the predator – prey relationship of the lynx and hare. Studies have shown that for the lynx to succeed there needs to be a hare population of 1.1 to 1.8 hares (Steury, 2002) The next set of studies that went into the success of the lynx was the study that took into account that the lynxes chooses a habitat that best suits its prey. The best type of habitat for Snowshoe Hare are the mature spruce-fir forests. (Ivan, 2012 Density ShH) The lynxes preferred habitat coincides with the hares, or very close to, mixed spruce-fir, aspen forests. (Ivan, 2010 LH) By first finding other areas in Canada and Alaska where the Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) and its keystone prey co-habitat harmoniously, the modeling fit quite well to reintroduce the lynx back into the San Juan Mountains. Habitat is an important focus on keeping the lynx in an area where it can be thrive but there has to be another focus too. This animal has a large home-range and also needs to have corridors set up for breeding purposes. The study of Predicted Habitat in Colorado, Ivan 2011, tried to predict the habitat north of the San Juan Mountains to determined if the Lynx would be able to not only have a corridor to the other northern states but also to have breeding sites. The determination was that they could not with any accuracy predict that the Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) could use the land due to the landscape being so different than the Southern areas. Also the lack of information on the vegetation for the Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) is critical. The