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For Immediate Release
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service To Revisit Flawed Lynx Critical Habitat Decision
Involvement of Julie MacDonald leads FWS to declare intention to revise lynx decision by summer 2008
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced that it intends to revise its Canada lynx critical habitat designation because it was “influenced” by former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Julie MacDonald, a political appointee who revised the designation to exclude U.S. Forest Service lands and state and private lands.
“This is a long overdue step toward preserving the U.S. population of Canada lynx,” said Bob Irvin, senior vice president of conservation programs for Defenders of Wildlife. “FWS has finally admitted that its previous decision to exclude virtually all lynx habitat from protection was improper and is returning to the starting blocks. There is no guarantee that FWS will ultimately designate sufficient habitat for lynx recovery, but at least now we can hope the decision will be based on science and the needs of the lynx, rather than politics.”
The decision comes in part in response to a filing by Defenders of Wildlife notifying FWS that legal action would be taken if the agency did not reject the flawed Canada lynx protection plan, which FWS had already admitted was influenced by political meddling.
In its decision, FWS acknowledges that MacDonald’s involvement in the exclusion of national forest and state and private lands from the lynx’s critical habitat “may not be supported by the record, may not be adequately explained, or may not comport with the best available scientific and commercial information.”
Further, FWS indicates that it will examine previous scientific evidence as well as new scientific information that has emerged since the original designation, including studies regarding the impacts of changes in the lynx’s habitat caused by global warming—an argument made by Defenders of Wildlife that went unheard in previous dialogues.
“FWS’s decision to reconsider its critical habitat designation gives the lynx a new chance for recovery in the United States,” said Irvin. “The science is clear regarding the lynx’s need for substantial protected habitat, and we can now hope that the FWS leadership will finally listen to its own scientists and adopt their recommendations to protect lynx habitat.”
Defenders of Wildlife is working to preserve the Canada lynx in the United States in partnership with American Wildlands, Animal Welfare Institute, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Native Ecosystems, Colorado Wild, Conservation Northwest, Friends of the Clearwater, Friends of the Wild Swan, HOWL: Help Our Wolves Live, Humane Society of the United States, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Oregon Wild, RESTORE: The North Woods, San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, Sinapu, The Lands Council, Wildlife Alliance of Maine and Wyoming Outdoor Council.
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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.
