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Wyoming lynx study may prove useful JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Western Wyoming's lynx population is among the best understood in the West and one of only three tracked by radio. That might prove useful now that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to list the species as threatened. At least seven lynx inhabit Bridger-Teton National Forest, which could affect forest policy because the U.S. Forest Service has been put in charge of lynx recovery. But even with the radio-collared animals, knowledge of lynx in Wyoming is limited to basic information such as their population, ranges and reproduction rates, according to Bob Oakleaf, non-game coordinator for the state Game and Fish Department. Bill Noblitt, regional endangered species manager for the Forest Service, said the Rocky Mountains from northwest Montana in to Colorado is a lynx stronghold. Forest officials do not expect lynx to result in the sweeping impacts other listed species have had on forest management. Lynx tolerate human activity such as snowmachines better than animals such as grizzly bears, Noblitt said. "All access is more detrimental to bears than it is to lynx," he said. But Oakleaf said some motorized access could indirectly affect lynx in ways not yet understood. Snowmachine tracks, for instance, could enable coyotes to penetrate the backcountry more quickly. Coyotes compete with lynx for prey. Also, more research is needed on how human activities affect the distribution of animals such as the snowshoe hare, the main food source for lynx, he said. The recent starvation of a collared female lynx shows the need to promote habitat for lynx prey, he said. Snowshoe hares prefer forests with young vegetation tall enough to rise above the snow but low enough to provide food and shelter. Thinning could help hare habitat stay healthy longer, he said. "It's basically a Forest Service move," he said. "You've got to get silvaculturists on board to do what they can to improve habitat or at least maintain the good habitat." As for the radio-collared lynx that died, at least one of two kittens has survived, and "there is at least one more female around" for the cat's mate, he said. Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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