STATE OF WASHINGTON March 2001 LynxLynx RecoveryRecovery PlanPlan by Derek Stinson Washington Department of FISH AND WILDLIFE Wildlife Program Wildlife Diversity Division WDFW 735 In 1990, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted procedures for listing and delisting species as endangered, threatened, or sensitive and for writing recovery and management plans for listed species (WAC 232-12-297, Appendix C). The lynx was classified by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission as a threatened species in 1993 (Washington Administrative Code 232-12-011). The procedures, developed by a group of citizens, interest groups, and state and federal agencies, require that recovery plans be developed for species listed as threatened or endangered. Recovery, as defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is “the process by which the decline of an endangered or threatened species is arrested or reversed, and threats to its survival are neutralized, so that its long-term survival in nature can be ensured.” This document summarizes the historic and current distribution and abundance of the lynx in Washington, describes factors affecting the population and its habitat, and prescribes strategies to recover the species in Washington. The draft state recovery plan for the lynx was reviewed by researchers and state and federal agencies. This review was followed by a 90 day public comment period. All comments received were considered in preparation of this final recovery plan. For additional information about lynx or other state listed species, contact: Manager, Endangered Species Section Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way N Olympia WA 98501-1091 This report should be cited as: Stinson, D. W. 2001. Washington state recovery plan for the lynx. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, Washington. 78 pp. + 5 maps. On the cover: lynx photo taken by J. E. Robinson at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park; background photo by Tracy Lloyd; lynx illustration by Darrell Pruett. Washington State Recovery Plan for the Lynx Prepared by Derek W. Stinson Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Management Program 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, Washington 98501 June 2001 ________________________________________ ____________________ Director, Washington Department of Fish and Wildife Date June 2001 ii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ..................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................... vii PART ONE: BACKGROUND ................................................... 1 TAXONOMY ...................................................................... 1 DESCRIPTION..................................................................... 1 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION .................................................... 2 North America ............................................................... 2 Washington.................................................................. 2 NATURAL HISTORY ............................................................... 4 Home Range................................................................. 4 Movements and Dispersal....................................................... 5 Reproduction ................................................................. 6 Mortality .................................................................... 7 Cycles...................................................................... 7 Foraging and Food ............................................................ 8 Hunting behavior. ...................................................... 8 HABITAT REQUIREMENTS ......................................................... 9 Denning Habitat .............................................................. 9 Forage Habitat............................................................... 10 Travel Habitat and Corridors ................................................... 11 POPULATION STATUS ............................................................ 12 Past ....................................................................... 12 Populations in the 1800s ................................................ 12 Populations in the 1900s ................................................ 13 Present..................................................................... 14 HABITAT STATUS ................................................................ 17 Land Ownership and Management Status ......................................... 17 Lynx Management Zones...................................................... 19 CONSERVATION STATUS ......................................................... 21 Legal Status................................................................. 21 Washington .......................................................... 21 U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service ..................... 22 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.............................. 22 Canada.............................................................. 22 Colville Tribe ......................................................... 22 June 2001 iii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ....................................................... 22 Lynx Harvest................................................................ 22 Research ................................................................... 22 LANDSAT habitat analysis .............................................. 24 Lynx Surveys ............................................................... 24 Snow tracking and monitoring............................................ 24 Carnivore Camera Stations .............................................. 24 Volunteer Observers and Incidental Sightings ............................... 24 Hair Snags........................................................... 24 Interagency Committees....................................................... 25 State and Private Lynx Management Plans ........................................ 25 Federal Land Management Activities ............................................. 26 FACTORS AFFECTING CONTINUED EXISTENCE ..................................... 27 Southern Boreal Habitat and Lynx Population Dynamics ............................. 27 Prey Biology and Cycles................................................ 27 Metapopulation dynamics ............................................... 27 Forest Management........................................................... 28 Timber Harvest ....................................................... 28 Fire history and suppression ............................................. 29 Forest roads and recreation .............................................. 30 Grazing and grass seeding............................................... 30 Forest Management in British Columbia .................................... 30 Competition and Predation ..................................................... 31 Coyotes ............................................................. 31 Incidental Hunting and Trapping Mortalities ....................................... 32 Lynx Management in British Columbia ........................................... 32 Forest Insect Epidemics ....................................................... 35 Condition of Matrix Habitats................................................... 35 Highway barriers for lynx movements ..................................... 35 Management of Other Species of Concern: Caribou and Grizzly ....................... 36 CONCLUSION .................................................................... 37 PART TWO: RECOVERY ..................................................... 38 RECOVERY GOAL ................................................................ 38 RECOVERY OBJECTIVES.......................................................... 38 Rationale................................................................... 38 Interim recovery objectives.............................................. 38 Lynx Management Zones ............................................... 39 Lynx habitat, recovery area, and reintroductions ............................. 39 RECOVERY STRATEGIES AND TASKS .............................................. 40 REFERENCES CITED .............................................................. 45 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS .................................................... 55 June 2001 iv Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE .................................................... 56 Appendix A. Lynx specimens collected in Washington ..................................... 59 Appendix B. Total known Lynx harvest in Washington by County, 1961-1989 .................. 63 Appendix C. Washington Administrative Code 232-12-297. Section 11 addresses Recovery Plans . 64 Appendix D. Responses to written comments received on the draft lynx recovery plan during the public comment period ............................................................. 67 Appendix E. List and Maps of Lynx Analysis Units in Washington and most recent year of lynx detections .................................................................. 74 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1. Mean annual home ranges (km2) of lynx........................................... 5 Table 2. Density-based estimates of Washington’s lynx population by Lynx Management Zone ..... 16