The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that 42,753 square miles of the northern U.S. be designated as critical habitat for the Canada lynx. The new area is more than 20 times bigger than a proposal made in 2006, which the agency promised to revisit after it became clear that former USFWS overseer Julie MacDonald’s influence trumped scientists’ recommendations. Activists generally applauded the new plan, although some were disappointed that no areas of the southern Rockies were included. The Interior Department is taking public comment on its lynx-habitat proposal until Apr. 28.
