Lynx are some of the coolest cats in Colorado, and they’re in the news right now. As reported in the December 2 Summit Daily, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced two significant steps to support lynx recovery and conservation in the lower 48 states — (1) the final recovery plan and (2) proposed revisions to critical habitat designation. 

According to a November 27 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release, “These actions ensure the long-term survival of this elusive, snow-adapted wildcat that relies on cold boreal forests and abundant snowshoe hares for survival.” 

Particularly exciting is that portions of the proposed updated lynx “critical habitat” is in Summit and Eagle counties.

Why are lynx considered threatened, and what makes them so uniquely cool?

In 2000, the Canada lynx was designated under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species in the lower 48 states. In Colorado, lynx have been listed as a state endangered species since 1976.

Lynx were native to Colorado, but fur trapping and habitat loss led to their disappearance. In 1999, Colorado Parks and Wildlife began a reintroduction program, importing lynx from Alaska and Canada. The lynx suffered high mortality rates, and it’s estimated that 75-100 Canada lynx now live in Colorado.

Although currently protected from trapping and hunting in the contiguous U.S., lynx face numerous challenges. Recreation, logging and development have constrained lynx habitat. 

But the major challenge to lynx survival is related to how lynx hunt to survive. Their main prey is the snowshoe hare, which gets its “snowshoe” name from its large hind feet that prevent it from sinking into the snow. 

Lynx are uniquely adapted to hunt snowshoe hare in deep snow. Similarly, they have exceptionally large hind paws that act as snowshoes. Lynx tracks can be up to 5 inches wide and 8 inches long, even though male lynx weigh only about 24 pounds and are just 3 feet long. Their pads are rarely visible due to their furry feet — another adaptation to snowy habitat. And their exceptionally long back legs provide additional advantage in deep snow. 

However, with climate change has come lower snowpack. 

Less snow means lynx lose their hunting advantage over other predators that also hunt snowshoe hare, like bobcats, coyotes, and mountain lions. Also, snowshoe hare, which turn white in winter, are more visible to all predators when lower snowpack reveals bare ground.

Consequently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed new lynx-recovery rule states that “The Service and its lynx research and management partners have long recognized that projected global climate warming presents the greatest challenge to the long-term conservation of lynx and their boreal forest habitats in the contiguous United States.” 

For the Southern Rockies’ proposed critical habitat, including in Eagle and Summit counties, the proposed rule notes, “Climate change is expected to negatively impact the duration of deep fluffy snow conditions favorable to lynx in this unit over time.”

Efforts under the first Trump Administration to revoke lynx protection indicate that recovery efforts could be challenged under Trump’s second term. Matthew Bishop, senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, who led the coalition in previous lawsuits, said in a statement, “Should the incoming Trump administration try to claw back these protections in the southern Rockies we won’t hesitate to return to court once again.”

Check out the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Canada lynx species profile page on ECOS. The comment period for the proposed rule expires January 28, 2025.

Interested in other ways to help these cool cats? Reduce your carbon footprint with these helpful tips. And, locally, support safe wildlife passages, like those needed on Interstate 70 over Vail Pass.

Frances Hartogh is a volunteer wilderness ranger for the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance.