2003 - 02  Canada Lynx in the State of Minnesota

Background:  The Canada Lynx is a secretive forest dwelling cat of northern latitudes and high mountains. The thick fur, long legs, and wide paws of the Lynx are particularly suited for the long winters and deep snows of the north. Portions of the northern woods of Minnesota provide old growth forest which provides cover and denning sites for Lynx. The primary prey species of the Lynx is the snowshoe hare which is abundant in early successional forests of northern Minnesota. Minnesota Lynx habitat is adjacent to and a part of habitat in Manitoba and Ontario along the Northern border. It is known that Lynx may travel hundreds of miles in search of prey, mates, and habitat. During periodic fluctuations in Lynx populations, dispersing animals may travel back and forth between Canada and the United States. Populations of Lynx within the United States may be accentuated by the dispersal of animals from Canada.

In the Great Lakes Region, the historic range of the Canada Lynx included portions of the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Hunting and trapping records for the state of Minnesota indicate that 5585 Lynx have been harvested within Minnesota between the years 1930 and 1983. In particular, between 1970 and 1979, there were 764 Lynx harvested in Minnesota. Due to over-harvesting of the Lynx within the Canadian provinces during the 80's, an expected periodic Lynx population increase never occurred. Consequently, the hunting and trapping season for Lynx in Minnesota has been closed since 1984. Afterwards, the US Fish and Wildlife Service had concluded that a resident population possibly still exists in Minnesota. After many years of litigation, in June of 1998, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to rule the 'Canada Lynx' as 'Threatened' with extinction within the contiguous portion of the United States. In March of 2000, the Canada Lynx was officially registered as a 'Threatened' species under the rules of the Endangered Species Act. This ruling includes the historical range of Canada Lynx in northern Minnesota. The Minnesota DNR has made claims that it will litigate against this US Fish and Wildlife Service proposal, due to lack of scientific knowledge of whether or how the Lynx can be protected. In 2002 biological studies involving DNA analysis of hair samples taken from northern Minnesota have shown that there are at least 13 and as many as 22 individual Lynx roaming the northern Minnesota counties of Cook, Lake, and St. Louis. In addition, three separate observations of a mother Lynx with a litter of kittens have been observed in Minnesota in 2002.

Therefore be it resolved that the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America in convention April 26, 2003, at Owatonna, Minnesota supports the following:

1. In that the southern portion of Canada Lynx range and habitat exists in northern Minnesota, a portion of the responsibility for preserving the Canada Lynx and its habitat befalls the state of Minnesota.
2. In contrast to protecting the Canada Lynx by Minnesota state regulation by closing the Lynx trapping and hunting season, the Canada Lynx should be afforded stronger protection by listing it as an 'Endangered' species under the Endangered Species Act.
3. We urge the Minnesota DNR to work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to understand and implement methods to enhance the population of Canada Lynx in Minnesota. It would be beneficial to save Minnesota tax dollars by not challenging in court the federal governments listing of the Canada Lynx for the state of Minnesota. A positive aspect of this would be to use funds earmarked for litigation on natural resource programs.