Global warming cited for closing 26 million acres for Canada Lynx

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

The administration is increasingly citing global warming to justify expansion of the endangered species list, pushing development and recreation away from over 26 million acres, the latest to save the Canada Lynx.

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week proposed adding the lynx in part because the administration claims warmer winters from Maine to Washington State have reduced the area of “fluffy snow” the 25-pound cat likes to hunt snowshoe rabbits in.

 

“Climate change is likely to be a significant issue of concern for the future conservation of the lynx,” said the agency in a 187-page proposed rule that will now collect public comments. “Climate change is expected to substantially reduce the amount and quality of lynx habitat in the contiguous United States, with patches of high-quality habitat becoming smaller, more fragmented, and more isolated,” said the agency.

 

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An agency official said that climate change was “not a factor” in the lynx decision, but added that climate change modeling was used to determine where to set aside protected habitat. The rule states: “Our analyses under the act include consideration of ongoing and projected changes in climate.”