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Three Endangered Species of Colorado
Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis
“Threatened”
Although Canada lynx historically ranged from the boreal forests of northern Canada to the Southern
Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico, sustained trapping, habitat degradation, and habitat loss
reduced lynx in the region to very small numbers and quite possibly extirpated them altogether. For
many years, most experts thought lynx were extinct in Colorado. Colorado initiated an effort to
release lynx from Canada in 1999 that
has, so far, enjoyed significant success.
Although recovery of lynx in the region is
still uncertain, the spring births of wild
lynx kittens each of the last three years
marks a key milestone in this effort.
History of Endangerment
Canada lynx once lived throughout the
mountains of Colorado, northern New
Mexico, southern Wyoming, and even
occasionally the Uinta Mountains of
Utah. While they may not have occurred
in high numbers, they clearly existed in
much greater abundance at the beginning
of the 20th century than at the beginning
Photo: Sinapu
of the 21st. Trapping devastated
populations of lynx and other native
carnivores. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation exacerbated their decline. If indigenous lynx
did remain in the region, they occured in extremely small numbers.
Road to Recovery
In 1999, in anticipation of Endangered Species Act protection for the lynx, the state of Colorado
undertook an effort to recover the lynx in the Southern Rocky Mountains. In hopes that the lynx
would begin reproducing, the Colorado Division of Wildlife transported and released animals from
the northern part of the range into the south. Through this effort, the state has released a total of 204
lynx in the high mountains of southwestern Colorado over the last seven years. Initial mortality rates
were high, but with improved methods they have since dropped. The program is now celebrating
more than 140 free-roaming adult lynx across the region. In addition, over 100 lynx kittens – the first
documented wild lynx reproduction in Colorado in decades – have been born over the past three
years.
Conservation Today: Role of the ESA
The future for lynx in the Southern Rockies looks promising if land management agencies such as the
Forest Service protect lynx habitat and if state agencies adopt and implement programs to minimize
accidental lynx deaths. The Endangered Species Act has played a key role in encouraging and
facilitating the lynx recovery effort in the Southern Rockies. The Act ensures that shooting and
trapping lynx remain illegal and provides incentives for states like Colorado to adopt programs aimed
at reducing the likelihood of accidental deaths. Endangered Species Act protection is also resulting in
improved attention to habitat protection.
Ecological Value
As a result of rapid human population
growth, rampant urban sprawl, poorly
managed recreation, and unchecked
resource extraction, we have wiped out
virtually every top carnivore in the
Southern Rockies ecoregion. Top
carnivores, such as lynx, wolves, and other
large predators, play an important role in
maintaining the health of their ecosystems
overall by keeping population numbers in
check and weeding out disease among prey
Photo: Colorado Division of Wildlife
species. This in turn helps the whole
ecosystem remain balanced. Restoring the
lynx will require conserving critical old growth forest habitat, thoughtfully managing recreation and
motorized travel, and protecting key wildlife linkages, all of which have other important advantages as
well.
Outlook for the Future
Although the birth of wild lynx kittens is a critical milestone, the future depends on both habitat
protection and human tolerance and acceptance. Older forests with large trees and woody debris on
the ground provide the best habitat, but these areas are often targeted for commercial logging. Roads
and motorized recreation also take a toll. Lynx are killed in collisions with vehicles, competitors like
coyotes and bobcats use motorized routes to travel into key lynx habitat, and roads fragment and
degrade habitat. Ski resort development continues to devastate critical lynx habitat, and other land
uses, such as oil and gas drilling, also pose a serious threat.
While habitat degradation and loss pose the greatest threat, lynx continue to be shot and trapped by
humans. Because of the lynx's status as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act, it is
no longer legal to kill lynx. However, lynx can be mistaken for bobcat by hunters and sheepherders,
and traps set for other carnivores can easily kill lynx. As a result, hunting and trapping, which
decimated native lynx populations in the past, remain a threat.
Find Out More
You can learn more about the lynx in Colorado as well as the reintroduction program at the Colorado
Division of Wildlife http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/SpeciesOfConcern/Mammals/Lynx/
Get Involved
Write Senator Ken Salazar asking him to do what he can to ensure lynx habitat is protected in
Colorado. Write to: Senator Ken. Salazar, 2300 15th Street, Suite 450, Denver, CO 80202
Center for Native Ecosystems • 1536 Wynkoop, Suite 302 • Denver, CO 80202
(303) 546-0214 • [email protected] • www.nativeecosystems.org
Black-Footed Ferret, Mustela nigripes
“Endangered”
One of the most endangered mammals in North America,
the black-footed ferret is slowly making a comeback in
Colorado and other parts of the West after being rescued
from the brink of extinction in the mid-1980s.
The Challenge
Reduced to only a single, small wild population, the blackfooted ferret narrowly avoided extinction because of
Endangered Species Act protection and an aggressive
captive breeding program. Black-footed ferrets are entirely
dependent on healthy prairie dog ecosystems for survival.
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service
They rely on prairie dogs for food, and they depend on
prairie dog burrows for shelter. The near-extinction of the ferret was the result of devastating prairie dog
declines.
Current Colorado Status
Since 2001, under a program facilitated by the Endangered Species Act, state and federal wildlife biologists
have released 190 ferrets in effort to establish two black-footed ferret populations in Colorado: one in
Coyote Basin, which straddles the Colorado-Utah border west of Rangely, and another in the Bureau of
Land Management’s Wolf Creek Management Area southeast of Dinosaur National Monument. The
reintroduced ferrets seem to be persisting, as five sightings were confirmed in the Wolf Creek area this
summer. State biologists also believe the ferrets may even be breeding in the wild. One captured female
was lactating, meaning she gave birth earlier this summer.
About 200 ferrets are now housed at the new US Fish and Wildlife Service Black-Footed Ferret
Conservation Center in Larimer County. The $8 million captive breeding facility is the epicenter for
national efforts to help recover North America's only native ferret. Biologists hope the new center will
produce 200 to 300 kits a year, most of which will be released in the wild.
The Future of Black-Footed Ferrets in Colorado
The survival of ferrets in the wild in Colorado is an important milestone, and evidence of breeding is even
more exciting. The critical recovery challenge now is protecting healthy prairie dog ecosystems large
enough to support wild populations of black-footed ferrets. This is extremely important as the pressure
increases to for more oil and gas drilling, off-road vehicle riding, and other disturbances. Just this month,
the Bureau of Land Management announced its plan to sell oil and gas drilling leases across the entire
Wolf Creek Management Area, one of Colorado’s critical black-footed ferrets recovery areas.
Find out More
You can learn more about black-footed ferrets and the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Black-Footed Ferret
Conservation Center at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/i/a07.html
Get Involved
Write the Bureau of Land Management and ask them to not lease black-footed ferret habitat for oil and
gas dril1ing. Write to: Sally Wisely, BLM State Director, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80218
Center for Native Ecosystems • 1536 Wynkoop, Suite 302 • Denver, CO 80202
(303) 546-0214 • [email protected] • www.nativeecosystems.org
Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia
Not formally listed
The burrowing owl is the odd-duck of the owl family. It is the
only owl to live in underground burrows, residing in the
abandoned burrows of prairie dog, badgers, or foxes. Unlike
most owls, burrowing owls make their homes in grasslands
rather than forests, remain active during the day, and eat
rodents, insects, fruits, and seeds.
This individualistic owl is uniquely adapted to its home on
America's shortgrass prairies and the short-grass prairies of
Central and South America. The burrowing owl is about the
size of a robin and is a brownish-gray, which helps it remain
camouflaged in the dry grasses. Their long, stilt-like legs help
them to see over the prairie grasses and chase down their
insect prey.
The burrowing owl requires the deep soils of the short grass
prairies and burrowing mammals that live there to excavate
their tunnels. Burrowing owls are often found in close
Photo: Larry Master, NatureServe
proximity to prairie dog colonies and disruption of these
colonies can negatively affect the burrowing owl. Adult burrowing owls protect their burrows through a
series of head bobs and short barks to intimidate predators. Juveniles are known to make a rattlesnakelike buzz to warn predators away from the entrance to their burrows.
Ecological Value
Predators such as owls that feed on pest species are highly valuable to farmers and others whose
livelihoods are affected by pests. The burrowing owl is second only to the barn owl in economic
importance for the multitude of insects and rodents that it eats around agricultural lands. Burrowing owls
are tolerant of human activity and have been known to make their homes in cow pastures, fields
surrounding airports, ranch and farm land, or in close proximity to highways. In addition, the owls
provide food for other, larger raptors, foxes and coyotes.
The Challenge
Degradation of habitat and the decline of prairie dog species across the western U.S. are the primary
threats to healthy burrowing owl populations. Urban sprawl, conversion of prairie to farmland, road
collisions, and accidental deaths through pesticide programs aimed at other insect and mammalian pests,
also take a huge toll. While most recognize the at-risk status of the owl, it has few formal protections.
Find Out More
You can learn more about burrowing owls: http://www.enature.com/home/
Get Involved
Read the Newbery Honor-winning book Hoot, or see the movie and then have a classroom discussion.
You can also adopt a burrowing owl at http://www.hootmovie.com/
Center for Native Ecosystems • 1536 Wynkoop, Suite 302 • Denver, CO 80202
(303) 546-0214 • [email protected] • www.nativeecosystems.org