2008-06-12_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1980007 ‎(3)‎

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 6/12/2008
• Doc Name: Mining Plan Decision Document COC-67232
• From: OSM
• Permit Index Doc Type: Other Permits
• Email Name: TAK
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Status of the Species in the Action Area
The State is currently tracking 110 adult lynx transplanted from Canada and 7 immature lynx
born in Colorado. Two hundred and four lynx have been released during the reintroduction
program. There are 66 known mortalities and 29 missing animals (Table 1). One hundred and
two kittens have been born in Colorado with 30 known or presumed mortalities leaving 72
kittens still possibly surviving (Shenk 2005a). Therefore, there are approximately 182 total lynx
still possibly alive in Colorado that were either transplanted, or are offspring of those
transplanted animals. Highway mortality ranks as one of the highest human caused mortalities
factors for the Colorado lynx reintroduction overall, and the highest human caused mortality
factor since release protocols were adjusted that reduced the deaths caused by starvation after the
first year of the reintroduction effort (Table 2). Three release protocols were used during the
initial releases of lynx. By adjusting the release protocol, CDOW observed a reduction in the
number of starvation deaths (Shenk 2005a). Shenk (2005a) also observed that only 2 lynx have
died of starvation under their current release protocol, one in 2000 and one in 2001.
Table 1. Current status of adult lynx reintroduced to Colorado as of August 2005, update.
Females Males Unknown TOTALS
Released 109 95 204
Known Dead 40 25 1 66
Possible Alive 69 70 138
Missing 16 13 I 28a
Tracking 53 57 110
1 is unknown mortality
Table 2. Causes of death for adult lynx released into Southwestern Colorado from 1999-2005
(December 2005)
Cause of Death Number of Mortalities
Unknown 26
Starvation i 9 _
Hit by Vehicle
Shot 11
9
Probable Shot 5
Plague 5
predation j 2
Probable Predation 2
i Other Trauma 7
Illness I
Total Mortalities 77
ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE
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0
The environmental baseline is-define das the past and present impacts on the Canada lynx of all
Federal, State or private actions and other human activities in the action area, the anticipated
impacts of all proposed Federal projects in the action area that have already undergone formal or
early section 7 consultation, and the impacts of State or private actions that are contemporaneous •
with the consultation in process.
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