lynx-dev LYNX in colorado

[David Combs]

   Reintroduced lynx wander Colorado wilderness

   Copyright  1999 Nando Media

   Copyright  1999 Associated Press

   By ROBERT WELLER

   CREEDE, Colo. (June 12, 1999 7:43 a.m. EDT
   http://www.nandotimes.com) - After an hour skimming the 14,000-foot
   peaks of the San Juan Mountains, pilot Whitey Wannemacher wondered
   aloud in his small plane: "Where is everybody today?"

   On this six-hour mission to track the 37 lynx transplanted here from
   Canada and Alaska, research assistant Chris Parmeter heard only four
   telltale tracking beeps, grabbing his clipboard each time to note an
   animal's location and number.

   In ways, the silence can be heartening, telling the state Division
   of Wildlife workers that the reintroduction of the lynx to the
   mountain wilderness could be paying off with the elusive cats
   dispersing and adapting to their new homes. Faster beeps would
   signal a cat had succumbed.

   "If they were dead," Wannemacher said, "we'd find them in a
   heartbeat."

   Since the controversial reintroduction program began in January,
   trackers have spotted lynx as far as 70 miles from release sites in
   southwestern Colorado. Four of the first five cats starved to death,
   but no dead animals have been found since early April.

   The deaths prompted opponents to argue for the program's suspension,
   something wildlife officials say they will consider if half the lynx
   die. In the meantime, they hope to release an additional 50 cats
   next year.

   Lynx were last spotted in Colorado at Vail in 1973. Weighing up to
   44 pounds and adept at swimming and tree climbing, their distinctive
   black-tufted ears, short head and large paws distinguish them from
   the bobcat, a relative.

   The trapping and poisoning that contributed to the animals' demise
   in Colorado have been outlawed, but development at the state's
   majestic ski areas continues. The question remains whether the cat
   can exist with resort growth and the proliferation of second homes
   in Colorado's high country.

   Activists have held vigils and accused state biologists of rushing
   to release the lynx to avoid federal protection that might interfere
   with development plans. An eco-terrorist group claimed it set a fire
   last year that caused $12 million damage at Vail to protest the
   resort's expansion. No arrests have been made.

   But Mike Smith, wildlife chairman for the Sierra Club's Colorado
   chapter, defends the state biologists. "I think the division
   deserves a lot more credit and a lot less hammering," he said.

   The biologists say they knew from the start there would be losses.

   "We said the mortality could be 50 percent," said Todd Malmsbury, a
   Division of Wildlife spokesman. Just as many lynx can starve during
   some winters, he said.

   The lynx has joined a number of other species that have been
   reintroduced to the wild throughout the West, including condors,
   grizzly bears and wolves.

   Ranchers and farmers have been among those opposed to
   reintroductions, fearing they could bring more federal restrictions
   onto their land. A group of ranchers failed in court to halt
   Colorado's lynx program.

   Reintroduction opponents have found common cause with animal rights
   groups, which said the lynx program was hastily planned and that the
   deaths were unnecessary.

   "Some people who really are upset cannot accept the loss of an
   individual animal," said Diane Gansauer, executive director of the
   Colorado Wildlife Federation. "We have a generation raised to
   believe all is sweetness and light in the bush.  Nature's way is
   also very tough."

   Smith, of the Sierra Club, said it is too early to tell whether the
   program will succeed. But he believes it's worth the risk, even if
   some lynx die.

   "Wildlife is a part of our quality of life," Smith said. "If I only
   see lynx tracks in the snow from time to time, it's very important
   me to know they are in Colorado."

References

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