AUGUSTA, Maine
(NEWS CENTER) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has permitted Maine
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to continue its trapping
programs, despite the risk of taking the protected Canada lynx. Maine is
the first state to have an "incidental take" plan for Canada lynx. "People
can continue to enjoy one of Maine's long traditions, furbearer
trapping, while taking steps to avoid harming Canada lynx and supporting
a larger effort to provide habitat that helps us recover the species,"
said Assistant Regional Director Paul Phifer of the U.S Fish and
Wildlife Service Northeast Region. "This illustrates how the Endangered
Species Act allows for some flexibility when applicants have
demonstrated that they have minimized and mitigated the effects on
protected wildlife."
Trapping for common species like coyote or
fox, creates a risk of incidentally taking a Canada lynx. An "incidental
take permit" allows for trapping to continue as part of the regulated
trapping program and the Maine IFW will take measures to minimize the
taking of the lynx. The take of the lynx will be offset by providing a
22,000-acre lynx habitat on state's Seboomook Unit in nnorthernMaine. "Our
analysis through the permitting process confirmed that trapping does
not pose a significant threat to Maine's lynx population," Phifer said.
"The most important factor to maintaining a healthy population of lynx
in Maine is having sufficient habitat, which is why the plan focuses on
managing habitat for mitigation."
Maine IFW said that incidental
take plans, known also as habitat conservation plans, identify the
impacts to specific species from a project or program.
source
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