Canada Lynx Gains 14,000 Square Miles of Protected Habitat
Published Date: 7/16/2026
Rule
Summary
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service updated the protected areas for the Canada lynx in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Washington, covering about 14,030 square miles. This change fixes past legal issues and helps keep the lynx’s home safe. The new rule starts on August 17, 2026, and may affect land use and conservation efforts in these states.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
14,030 sq mi of land designated
The Fish and Wildlife Service designated about 14,030 square miles (36,340 km2) of critical habitat for the Canada lynx in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. The designation becomes effective August 17, 2026 and may affect land use and conservation planning in those states.
Federal projects may need consultation
If your project needs Federal approval or involves Federal action in designated lynx habitat with essential features, activities like road widening, vegetation removal, timber harvest, or avalanche mitigation may require consultation and possible special management considerations. The rule advises project proponents to work with the appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services Field Office to determine effects.
Many developed and managed lands excluded
The final rule excludes about 625 square miles (1,619 km2) of lands from designation and states that areas within the mapped boundaries that lack the lynx features—such as buildings, paved highways and roads, active mines, developed ski area infrastructure, and irrigation infrastructure—are not considered critical habitat. The Service also excluded certain managed lands (e.g., Montana DNRC HCP lands and lands managed under Washington's LHMP) because the benefits of exclusion outweigh inclusion.
Economic analysis finds limited large costs
The Service's economic screening analysis concluded this critical habitat rule is unlikely to have an annual effect on the U.S. economy of $100 million or more, and that designating occupied areas typically causes little incremental impact beyond the species listing. The Service considered impacts to logging contractors, counties, and small communities in its analysis.
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