Interesting how one of the Portland, Maine TV stations blindly echos the comments(no critical questions ask, simply rewriting their press statements) of the USFW Service in saying that incidental trapping of Lynx in Maine is just "A-OK ,even though it is the only remaining Eastern state to harbor a small breeding population of the "big-pawed cats"(perhaps two hundred strong)..................Maine is so concerned with trapping Coyotes so as to manipulate the deer population that it has "muscled out" all rational and scientific thinking from the USFW Service as it relates to protecting Lynx.................22,000 acres of habitat is not enough to offset the already trapped 13 Lynx caught to date this year..........Previous studies indicate that a full 50% of trapped cats that are released end up dead for one reason or another..................The final trapping permit includes coverage for several new activities that were not considered by the Fish and Wildlife Service in earlier draft rounds of the permit approving process................The state added to the final permit its Predator Management and Animal Damage Control programs..............Maine pays trappers to kill coyotes, beaver and foxes........... The predator management program pays incentives and gas money to trappers who will travel to remote parts of the state to kill coyotes, as part of Maine’s effort to maintain high deer populations.............. Within these programs, Maine will also allow the use of cable restraints which are designed for smaller mammals but often kill, larger, non-target species, such as lynx..... Maine will also open the state to use of larger traps than previously allowed..............Bottom line, Lynx are now clearly in the crosshairs of Maine trappers at a time when they should be left alone to repopulate and fulfill their ecological services impacts across the environment

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/canada-lynx-11-04-2014.html

wcsh6.com: http://on.wcsh6.com/1tXYMoM

Maine to create 22,000 acre habitat for Canada lynx

3:29 p.m. EST November 4, 2014

(Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie)

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AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER)
 -- The U.S.
 Fish and
Wildlife
 Service has permitted Maine Department
 of Inland Fisheries
 and Wildlife to continue its trapping programs,
despite the risk
 of taking the protected Canada lynx. Maine is
 the first state to
 have an "incidental take" plan for Canada lynx.

"People can continue to enjoy one of Maine's
 long traditions,
 furbearer trapping, while taking steps to avoid
harming Canada
 lynx and supporting a larger effort to provide
habitat that helps
 us recover the species," said Assistant
Regional Director Paul
 Phifer of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Region.
 "This illustrates how the Endangered
 Species Act allows for
some flexibility when applicants have
 demonstrated that they
have minimized and mitigated the effects
 on protected wildlife."

Trapping for common species like coyote
 or fox, creates a risk
 of incidentally taking a Canada lynx. An
 "incidental take permit"
 allows for trapping to continue as part
of the regulated trapping
 program and the Maine IFW will take
 measures to minimize the
 taking of the lynx. The take of the lynx
will be offset by
providing a 22,000-acre lynx habitat on
 state's Seboomook
 Unit in nnorthernMaine.

"Our analysis through the permitting
 process confirmed that
 trapping does not pose a significant
 threat to Maine's lynx
population," Phifer said. "The most
 important factor to
maintaining a healthy population of
 lynx in Maine is having
sufficient habitat, which is why the
 plan focuses on managing
habitat for mitigation."

Maine IFW said that incidental take
 plans, known also as
 habitat conservation plans, identify
 the impacts to specific
 species from a project or program.