Lynx Clearinghouse

This document was one of several on the forest carnivores prepared by the Idaho State Conservation Effort. It is a draft habitat conservation assessment and conservation strategy in an attempt to "get ahead of the extinction curve" for these species in Idaho. Unfortunately, it was never finalized, and has been sitting on the shelf since its completion. A similar document for wolverines was described as follows (see record for Buecking 1998):
"This document appears to be the most comprehensive and scientifically-based set of guidelines for wolverine management. While authors Copeland and Hudak recognize the gaps in state of knowledge of wolverines, they realistically identify the need for management guidelines which translate what we already know into the best possible strategy for land managers to implement. This document, though Idaho specific, provides a template by outlining objectives, assumptions, methodologies, and guidelines which can be adapted for specific regions."

Notable excerpt from the draft lynx HCA/CS:

Problems facing the species
Summary of threats
"Unique southern range factors include:
1. the inherently peninsular and disjunct distribution of suitable habitats (Koehler and Aubry 1994).
2. a lack of resource planning concerned with providing the proper spatial configurations and amounts of lynx and snowshoe hare habitats.
3. the lack of dramatic fluctuations in both lynx and snowshoe hare populations (Koehler and Aubry 1994).
4. the consistently low densities typical of boreal habitats in these regions (Koehler and Aubry 1994).
5. consistently low lynx densities causing trapping to be additive rather than compensatory (Koehler and Aubry 1994).
6. higher human densities coupled with low lynx densities causing both direct (e.g. fur harvest) and indirect (e.g., land development causing displacement, habitat alterations) anthropogenic effects on population persistence to be of greater magnitude.
7. the potential importance of emigration for short-termed population persistence (Koehler and Aubry 1994).
8. the range overlaps of lynx, bobcat, and coyote (Koehler and Aubry 1994), and the propagation of bobcat and coyote range extensions that accompany anthropogenic development." (4)