A five-year study by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&

Phyllis Austin

Source

Down East

Date

3-1-2003

Pages

70-71, 77, 79

Abstract

A five-year study by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF& W) has proven conclusively that Maine has a breeding population of Canada lynx. The question of whether the lynx is truly an endangered species is one of the most controversial in environmental politics today. At the study's start, Maine wildlife officials went on the record saying that whatever lynx existed in Maine were interlopers who wandered across the border from Canada. The studies modest goals were to capture a minimum of six lynx-- but over four years, a total of sixty-five lynx were captured briefly for documentation. Biologists Craig McLaughlin and Adam and Jennifer Vashon oversaw the study. McLaughlin credits pilot Jack McPhee with playing a key role in the project. One of the surprising findings is that, unlike out west where lynx have been thought to prefer old-growth forests, the cats in Maine are thriving in heavily cut-over woods.

Subjects

Endangered species, Lynx

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