"As we begin calendar year 2019, some 150-200 Canadian Lynx are believed to call Colorado home"............"Colorado’s native lynx died out in the early 1970s because of trapping, poisoning and development"..........."Colorado represents the southern-most historical distribution of lynx, where the species occupied the higher elevation montane forests of the state right on through the late 1880's" ......"The state Division of Wildlife began reintroducing them in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado by releasing lynx that were captured in Alaska and Canada"................."By 2006, 218 lynx had been brought in and equipped with tracking devices on collars so researchers could monitor their movements"..............."The first kittens born to the transplanted lynx were documented in 2003, and third-generation cats were first found in 2006".............."Their current home ranges include the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the state with occasional sightings reported in high-elevation areas such as Copper Mountain, Vail Pass, Red Cliff, and Leadville"..............."Currently considered a stable and healthy population, their long-term prospects are very much tied to the virulence of the Spruce Bark Beetle infestation that warmer weather has helped aggravate..............This insects' destruction of the forest canopy effects the lynx's main source of food, snowshoe hare"................... "Snowshoe hare prefer a 'two-story forest,’ with lower vegetative shrubs and plants to eat; while the second story is used as protection and shelter from the elements"............."When you remove those over-stories, you're looking at a total forest turnover, which would be a deciding factor in whether or not those lynx populations thrive"

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.vaildaily.com/news/curious-nature-in-search-of-the-missing-lynx-column/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoTNzUzMzE2Njk3NTcxNjA1NjM4MTIaMWZiYWM0NmZiZmUyN2MzODpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNH2Wn1Cmurj-p-6RhKx4GQkiZ6vzA

Video of Lynx hunting Snowshoe Hare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swiSMSWgbKE

Curious Nature: In search of the missing(Colorado) lynx

Allie Feldmeir
Curious Nature

January 14, 2019

The Canada lynx is protected under the Endangered Species Act, which makes encountering one in the wild an extremely unusual occurrence, especially here in Colorado. The lynx by nature tends to be a reclusive and shy animal, rarely venturing into populated areas. According to Colorado Species Conservation Manager Eric Odell, the current population is estimated to be between 150 and 250 lynx throughout the state of Colorado.

David Zalubowski, Associated Press file

In this April 19, 2005 file photo, a Canada lynx heads into the Rio Grande National Forest after being released near Creede, Colo. Wildlife officials said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, the Canada lynx no longer needs special protections in the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin drafting a rule to revoke the animal’s threatened species status, which has been in place since 2000.

Currently, the majority of lynx reside in the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of our state, though there have been occasional sightings reported in other high-elevation areas such as Copper Mountain, Vail Pass, Red Cliff, and Leadville. 

Keeping track of lynx has presented some unique challenges since the state discontinued its use of radio collars to monitor migration patterns in 2010. Most current information regarding the species relies solely on hiking trail cameras or eyewitness accounts by local residents or federal government employees.

How are lynx doing in our state?

In 1999, the reintroduction of 218 wild-caught Canada lynx began the great comeback for this elusive predator in our state. With an estimated population of 150 to 250 after two decades, any wildlife conservationist would consider this project a huge success. Odell assures the residents of Colorado that they "… are monitoring occupancy and it has remained relatively stable over the past four years, so [they] believe that the population is stable as well." Cal Orlowski, Mountain Sports Ranger for the White River National Forest, agrees that the population seems stable, and is close to the carrying capacity for the habitat we have here. After all, lynx don't have many predators in Eagle County — other than people and the development of national forest.

When it comes to Eagle County's local lynx families and the effects of our consistent development of wildlife areas, conservation gets tricky. In the past two years, there have been two reported lynx mortalities west of Vail Pass between mile markers 187 and 188, which the Eagle County Safe Passages for Wildlife group has identified as a primary habitat connection split down the middle by I-70. Many local residents in Eagle County agree with the need for a wildlife migration bridge in this area like those in other mountain states. These bridges could prevent many wildlife fatalities and create safe migration paths for animals crossing these habitat barriers.

We're not out of the woods just yet…

According to Odell, "there is a lot of uncertainty regarding future populations, certainly things like climate change, human development, and changes in the health of the forests will determine whether or not lynx will continue to thrive." Even seemingly unrelated issues like the spruce beetle can have drastic effects on the viability of lynx going forward. The invasive insects' destruction of the forest canopy effects the lynx's main source of food: snowshoe hare. Orlowski states, "Snowshoe hare prefer a 'two-story forest,’ with lower vegetative shrubs and plants to eat; while the second story is used as protection and shelter from the elements.  When you remove those over-stories, you're looking at a total forest turnover, which would be a deciding factor in whether or not those lynx populations thrive."

Lynx face many obstacles in the daily quest to survive, from habitat destruction to climate change. Despite the odds being stacked against them, this species continues to survive in the forests and mountains of Colorado. If you do get the rare honor of spotting a lynx, treasure it, because it might be the last time you see this phantom of the forest in its natural habitat.