Overview:  The lynx is a ghost of the boreal forest.  Its path follows the deep, heavy snows that are sloughed off by the subalpine fir and lodgepole pine north from western Alaska to Newfoundland and south into the remaining boreal forests of the U.S.  The lynxs' range is determined by the extent of this habitat which is represented in the lower 48 states in montane areas of Northeastern WA, Northern ID, Western CO and Western Montana.  These areas are generally less accessible to logging and development therefore remain relatively roadless and wild.   This magnificent feline wanders over a home range that averages 30 square miles for females and 40 square miles for males.  While never an abundant creature, lynx populations boom and bust with the fluctuations of its favorite snack, the snowshoe hare.  When prey is abundant lynx may wander hundreds of miles to establish new populations.  Records of lynx trapped or killed have occured in places as far away as North central Utah and Northern Nevada.  These records probably indicate wandering males and not self-sustaining populations.  Because lynx tend to be found in areas that have remained relatively free of human encroachment, they--along with the wolverine, marten and fisher--are being used as indicators of ecosytem diversity and overall health.

Historically, what little scientists and resource managers knew about the movements of rare small-to-medium sized carnivores came from observations and trapping records.  As "furbearers," these species were considered harvestable resources throughout the 20^th century.  In 1999, the lynx gained protection from trapping and hunting in the U.S, although it is still legally hunted in Canada.  A report by Zielinski et al (1995) initiated intensive monitoring efforts in boreal habitats throughout the West to track the movements of the lynx, as well as the wolverine, marten and fisher, and expand our knowledge of their life histories.  Monitoring studies, like those being performed by the the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), are currently being used in determining the presence or absence of these highly elusive animals in our remaining forested land.
 

WA Distribution: Lynx in Washington are mostly restricted to isolated populations in the northern Cascades, as well as the north-east portions of the state.  Historically, the western distribution of the lynx extended throughout Washington and Oregon's Cascades, as well as the Rockies from Idaho, Oregon and Montana south to Utah and Colorado.
 
 
 
 

ID Distribution:In 1998, twenty Canadain lynx were reintroduced to the eastern portion of the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.  As this sightings map shows, Idaho's lynx population is mostly concentrated in the northern portion of the state, where adequate forest cover still exists.
 
 
 
 
 
 

OR Distribution:The lynx was thought to be extirpated from Oregon until 1997, when genetic analyses of hair samples confirmed the presence of this feline in the Mt. Hood, Willamette and Deschutes National Forests.  The lynx formerly ranged throughout the upper-elevation forests of Oregon's North Cascades.  Currently we do not have any map data, but there have been three unconfirmed lynx sightings in Eastern Oregon since 1990.

Last updated August 2, 2001