US proposes plan to help the snow-dependent Canada lynx before warming shrinks its habitat

By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials are proposing a $31 million recovery plan for Canada lynx to help a snow-dependent wildcat species that scientists say could be wiped out in parts of the contiguous U.S. by the end of the century. The plan released Friday shows lynx populations in New Hampshire, Maine and Washington state are most at risk of becoming less viable as the climate warms. Yet declines would be seen across the contiguous U.S. under even the most optimistic warming scenario.  The recovery proposal marks a sharp turnaround from five years ago, when officials in Donald Trump’s presidency said lynx had recovered and no longer needed federal protection.