So many lynx are using the White River National Forest that all potential lynx habitat will be protected as if it were occupied, the region’s top federal forester told a joint legislative panel Wednesday.
Rick Cables, the Rocky Mountain regional forester, said a recent decision to relax lynx protections in the 2.3-million- acre forest will not affect lynx survival in the forest.
“I do not think it puts lynx at risk,” he said.
In December, Deputy Agriculture Undersecretary David Tenny overturned lynx protections in the White River’s new 15-year management blueprint.
The decision drew fire from environmentalists because Tenny wrote there was no evidence of lynx using the forest.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife quickly released a map showing that lynx had been in the forest hundreds of times.
Tenny ordered forest staff to maintain lynx protections only where there was documented evidence of occupation.
But Cables said tracking data show lynx are using so much of the forest that his agency will err on the side of caution.
“It’s nice to know there’s been a reality check,” said state Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison.
It is unclear whether maintaining the White River lynx protections will interfere with ski-resort development or other proposed projects.
Since 1999, Colorado has spent $2.5 million on lynx reintroduction. More than 100 adult cats now roam the state.
Tenny’s ruling was designed to speed consolidation of the White River Forest’s lynx plan with a broader strategy being proposed for all 11 forests in Colorado and one in Wyoming.
The White River plan was based on a lynx strategy developed by federal biologists. The draft regional lynx plan incorporates exemptions for energy development, transmission lines and logging to comply with White House directives.
State Rep. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, said he wants assurances that development and recreation restrictions designed to protect the threatened cats will be relaxed as their numbers rise.
“This is a risky gambit,” he said. “We are creating data that ultimately can be used against us in land-use decisions.”
Staff writer Theo Stein can be reached at 303-820-1657 or tstein@denverpost.com.
