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WHAT ABOUT THE LYNX?
While bobcats seem to be thriving, their larger cousin, the lynx is
not. Where bobcats can adapt to desert conditions and shy away from
deep snow, lynx rely on it, using their large snowshoe like paws to
travel effortlessly through the winter landscape. They are classically
entwined with snowshoe hare populations, following the boom and
bust cycles of their primary prey. When hare populations surge, lynx
can quickly grow 10-17 times in number.
But throughout some parts of the West, lynx seem to be vanishing.
In 2000, lynx were listed as a Threatened Species, and they have not
been documented south of Yellowstone since 2010. In southern Mon-
tana, sightings are rare, the most recent being a set of tracks near Yel-
lowstone's northeast entrance in 2014. Though populations in Northern
Montana seem to be stable, biologists give the Greater Yellowstone
population of lynx less only a 35% chance of persistence by 2050.
What's causing the vanishing of lynx? The southern range of this
cat contains more fragmented habitat and less prey availability, which
means the animals must inhabit larger ranges to survive. Inconsistent
snowfall and shorter winters is also likely contributing. Where snow is
thin, or snowmobile tracks provide packed trails, other predators like
bobcat and coyote can push lynx out of desirable habitat, shrinking
their possible home ranges. Massive climate-change-driven wildfires
may soon eliminate much of the sheltered spruce fir habitat that both
lynx and snowshoe hares depend upon.
Yet lynx persist, and thrive further north in Montana and across
much of Canada. Within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, suitable
habitat does remain. Most people will never have an opportunity to
see a lynx in the wild, but maybe knowing that they are somewhere
out there, eking out a living is enough.
View more of the story at
NorthWesternEnergy.com/BrightFuture
Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains,
the Archie Bray Foundation is a world-renowned
and historic ceramics institute providing a unique
place to create. With the help of an energy audit
from NorthWestern Energy, the Bray received
recommendations that will keep the facility
running more energy efficiently. By implementing
these practices, the Bray can better afford to
be a gathering place for the community and its
resident artists now and in the future.
Getting fired up
about efficiency.
Photo of a lynx in Glacier National Park by Lyn Vargo
