Canada Lynx delisting

[Humptulips]

https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2018/01112018_Status_Review_Indicates_Canada_lynx_Recovery_inLower48.php

DENVER -The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is announcing the completion of a scientific review of the Canada lynx in the contiguous United States. The review concludes that the Canada lynx may no longer warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and should be considered for delisting due to recovery. This recommendation is the result of an extensive review of the best available scientific information and almost 20 years of working in partnership with state, federal, tribal, industry and other land managers on the conservation of this species.  As a result of this status review, the Service will begin development of a proposed rule to delist the species.

When they listed Lynx it spawned a bunch of lawsuits to stop trapping in several States especially Maine and MT. I'm not seeing where much has changed so I would say it was unwarranted from the get go. It truly has been a pain in the rear for Maine trappers with all the restrictions.
I imagine there will be more lawsuits over this as the ARs won't want to give up one of there best tools to restrict trapping.
Kind of makes you wonder if the current Administration gave it a green light and if another party would have.

[KFhunter]

So we need some taller cages now?

[Humptulips]

So we need some taller cages now?

Still State listed.

[ribka]

So we need some taller cages now?

it

appears that conservation NW, a supposed pro hunting organization thgat has help end legal trapping, , is opposed to lynx hunting even though the numbers are high enough to resume hunting and trapping

https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/statement-proposal-delist-canada-lynx/


http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150723/wdfw-one-more-kill-will-put-dirty-shirt-wolves-at-risk

of course it is ironic the the founder of conservation NW, mitch friedman, helped shut down all logging in the NW through spiking trees while he worked for earth first and that that resulted in wildfires with so much fuel load that they destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

surprised?

my post will probably get removed again

[KFhunter]

Why would your comment get removed?  You've given some good insight, from your link on CNW:

“Lynx populations in Washington have declined since they were identified as a threatened species in 2000,” said Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director at Conservation Northwest.

“A significant amount of the habitat where they remain has been lost to recent large fires. The Trump Administration’s decision that lynx no longer deserve federal protection is shameful, cavalier, and contrary to best available information. It’s clear that lynx are facing extinction threats and warrant federal wildlife protections.”

More information regarding our decades of work protecting lynx habitat, advocating for state and federal protections, and documenting their presence in Washington and southern British Columbia is available at: www.conservationnw.org/our-work/wildlife/canada-lynx/

Thanks for that link btw

[Ridgeratt]

KF don't get your hopes up they will more than likely hire another 400k consultant.

[ribka]

one of my posts earlier was nuked for criticizing conservation NW and its representative who comes on hunt WA and posts false propaganda.

hey its not my website and I dont make the rules

Why would your comment get removed?  You've given some good insight, from your link on CNW:

“Lynx populations in Washington have declined since they were identified as a threatened species in 2000,” said Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director at Conservation Northwest.

“A significant amount of the habitat where they remain has been lost to recent large fires. The Trump Administration’s decision that lynx no longer deserve federal protection is shameful, cavalier, and contrary to best available information. It’s clear that lynx are facing extinction threats and warrant federal wildlife protections.”

More information regarding our decades of work protecting lynx habitat, advocating for state and federal protections, and documenting their presence in Washington and southern British Columbia is available at: www.conservationnw.org/our-work/wildlife/canada-lynx/

Thanks for that link btw

[WAcoyotehunter]

So we need some taller cages now?

it

appears that conservation NW, a supposed pro hunting organization thgat has help end legal trapping, , is opposed to lynx hunting even though the numbers are high enough to resume hunting and trapping

https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/statement-proposal-delist-canada-lynx/


http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150723/wdfw-one-more-kill-will-put-dirty-shirt-wolves-at-risk

of course it is ironic the the founder of conservation NW, mitch friedman, helped shut down all logging in the NW through spiking trees while he worked for earth first and that that resulted in wildfires with so much fuel load that they destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

surprised?

my post will probably get removed again

Where are the populations high enough to be hunted? 

[WAcoyotehunter]

Even if they are federally delisted, there's no way they should be delisted in our state, or Idaho.

[ribka]

canada and eventually here in Washington and Idaho

but conservation nw is opposed to all legal forms of sport hunting  of all animals

funny that once logging was ended by the eco terrorist mitch friedman and earth first the fuel load became so great in our forests that once a fire started it was so strong that t destroyed vital  wildlife habitat including habitat for the endangered lynx.

so much for uneducated eco terrorists, with zero background in forestry management, are now involved in our wildlife management.

sounds like a recipe, once again, for disaster for our wildlife.

Maybe try and spin this in favor of anti hunting groups again.

So we need some taller cages now?

it

appears that conservation NW, a supposed pro hunting organization thgat has help end legal trapping, , is opposed to lynx hunting even though the numbers are high enough to resume hunting and trapping

https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/statement-proposal-delist-canada-lynx/


http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150723/wdfw-one-more-kill-will-put-dirty-shirt-wolves-at-risk

of course it is ironic the the founder of conservation NW, mitch friedman, helped shut down all logging in the NW through spiking trees while he worked for earth first and that that resulted in wildfires with so much fuel load that they destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

surprised?

my post will probably get removed again

Where are the populations high enough to be hunted?

[WAcoyotehunter]

canada and eventually here in Washington and Idaho

but conservation nw is opposed to all legal forms of sport hunting  of all animals

funny that once logging was ended by the eco terrorist mitch friedman and earth first the fuel load became so great in our forests that once a fire started it was so strong that t destroyed vital  wildlife habitat including habitat for the endangered lynx.

so much for uneducated eco terrorists, with zero background in forestry management, are now involved in our wildlife management.

sounds like a recipe, once again, for disaster for our wildlife.

Maybe try and spin this in favor of anti hunting groups again.

So we need some taller cages now?

it

appears that conservation NW, a supposed pro hunting organization thgat has help end legal trapping, , is opposed to lynx hunting even though the numbers are high enough to resume hunting and trapping

https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/statement-proposal-delist-canada-lynx/


http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150723/wdfw-one-more-kill-will-put-dirty-shirt-wolves-at-risk

of course it is ironic the the founder of conservation NW, mitch friedman, helped shut down all logging in the NW through spiking trees while he worked for earth first and that that resulted in wildfires with so much fuel load that they destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

surprised?

my post will probably get removed again

Where are the populations high enough to be hunted?

They still hunt and trap lynx in Canada and an ESA listing does nothing to change that.  If you want to 'eventually' hunt lynx in WA and ID, the federal listing will help the population get there.  The state doesn't have much for resources to recover species and counts on Fed money for that....but I'm sure you know that.

CNW and all conservation minded hunters should be wary about a delisting in this DPS.  The population is not recovered.  Are you arguing that it is?  What the hell are you arguing, aside from.taking the time to bash CNW?

[KFhunter]

I see signs of them pretty frequently snowmobiling sub alpine and higher elevations 5-7000' but I don't know if there's enough to de list or not. 

Does anyone have any estimate on numbers?  We mostly get spill down from Canada here.

[WAcoyotehunter]

There's a handful in the Loomis, but very few anywhere else in the state.  We hear about them infrequently in NE Washington and I have seen tracks 2x and one actual sighting near Priest Lake Idaho. 

They are rare, not even close to being a species hunters should think about targeting.  We should be supportive of any recovery actions that can help lynx recover.

[Humptulips]

canada and eventually here in Washington and Idaho

but conservation nw is opposed to all legal forms of sport hunting  of all animals

funny that once logging was ended by the eco terrorist mitch friedman and earth first the fuel load became so great in our forests that once a fire started it was so strong that t destroyed vital  wildlife habitat including habitat for the endangered lynx.

so much for uneducated eco terrorists, with zero background in forestry management, are now involved in our wildlife management.

sounds like a recipe, once again, for disaster for our wildlife.

Maybe try and spin this in favor of anti hunting groups again.

So we need some taller cages now?

it

appears that conservation NW, a supposed pro hunting organization thgat has help end legal trapping, , is opposed to lynx hunting even though the numbers are high enough to resume hunting and trapping

https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/statement-proposal-delist-canada-lynx/


http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150723/wdfw-one-more-kill-will-put-dirty-shirt-wolves-at-risk

of course it is ironic the the founder of conservation NW, mitch friedman, helped shut down all logging in the NW through spiking trees while he worked for earth first and that that resulted in wildfires with so much fuel load that they destroyed millions of acres of wildlife habitat

surprised?

my post will probably get removed again

Where are the populations high enough to be hunted?

They still hunt and trap lynx in Canada and an ESA listing does nothing to change that.  If you want to 'eventually' hunt lynx in WA and ID, the federal listing will help the population get there.  The state doesn't have much for resources to recover species and counts on Fed money for that....but I'm sure you know that.

CNW and all conservation minded hunters should be wary about a delisting in this DPS.  The population is not recovered.  Are you arguing that it is?  What the hell are you arguing, aside from.taking the time to bash CNW?

Are you kidding? Lynx were never and will never be of significant numbers in WA. To say they are not recovered ignores the fact that we are on the fringe of their range. There will never be more lynx in WA. It is that way in all lower 48 States that have lynx.
The good thing about the talk of delisting is not a chance to hunt or trap them. It is that it stymies efforts of AR groups to litigate against trapping via the ESA.
Maine has the highest lynx population in the lower 48 and it has caused huge problems because of lawsuits filed by AR groups to halt trapping because of supposed danger to lynx. There are more lynx killed in Maine each year by cars then by anything else but trappers are the ones taking the heat because fewer then a handful of lynx have been killed over the last 10 years.

[Humptulips]

There's a handful in the Loomis, but very few anywhere else in the state.  We hear about them infrequently in NE Washington and I have seen tracks 2x and one actual sighting near Priest Lake Idaho. 

They are rare, not even close to being a species hunters should think about targeting.  We should be supportive of any recovery actions that can help lynx recover.

Okanogan County has the highest population of lynx in WA. If you get away from there you will likely never see one. A very few all along the Canadian border but they dip farther south in Okanogan county then elsewhere.
As memory serves there were about a dozen confirmed DNA samples out of Okanogan county and one farther east, I think in Ferry. That in more recent hair traps WDFW did looking where lynx might be.

[JimmyHoffa]

And takes away some of the greeny ability to close down land and other things--like logging and the spotted owl or marbled murrelet.

[WAcoyotehunter]

[quote author=Humptulips

Are you kidding? Lynx were never and will never be of significant numbers in WA. To say they are not recovered ignores the fact that we are on the fringe of their range. There will never be more lynx in WA. It is that way in all lower 48 States that have lynx.

[/quote]
There may not have been as many lynx in WA as in BC, but there were lots more than we have today.  It was a sustainable population.  Interesting stuff in the WDFW document about lynx trapping, one guy in Ferry Co. Killed 23 in a season in the mid 70's, that kind of harvest makes me think there were more than a few around.

I'm curious why you think there could not be more lynx in WA? 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00394/wdfw00394.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjJ8_Pz_NHYAhVQ2mMKHdpOAVUQFjABegQIEhAB&usg=AOvVaw2aQQ0T2inw0yzV8Xn8f1vL

[Okanagan]

I'm curious why lynx seem scarce on the US side of the border, in the Paysayten Wilderness, for example, when they are quite common on the Canadian side of the line a very few miles away and sometimes in the same watershed, such as the Paysayten River canyon.  I've rambled on both sides of the border through that country and have often found lynx tracks on the Canadian side, and seen two up there over the years, both quite close to the border.  Lynx tracks are about as common as cougar tracks in the same area, not nearly as abundant as bobcat tracks in that region.

On the US side, I only recall one lynx track, in NE Whatcom County.  I tracked it in an inch of fresh snow one morning on the trail up Crater Mountain, around the rim in sub alpine.  But I have not hiked the Paysayten country much in the past 15 years. 

[Skyvalhunter]

They don't like the smell Wa outputs. Smells like tree huggers

[Humptulips]

[quote author=Humptulips

Are you kidding? Lynx were never and will never be of significant numbers in WA. To say they are not recovered ignores the fact that we are on the fringe of their range. There will never be more lynx in WA. It is that way in all lower 48 States that have lynx.

There may not have been as many lynx in WA as in BC, but there were lots more than we have today.  It was a sustainable population.  Interesting stuff in the WDFW document about lynx trapping, one guy in Ferry Co. Killed 23 in a season in the mid 70's, that kind of harvest makes me think there were more than a few around.

I'm curious why you think there could not be more lynx in WA? 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00394/wdfw00394.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjJ8_Pz_NHYAhVQ2mMKHdpOAVUQFjABegQIEhAB&usg=AOvVaw2aQQ0T2inw0yzV8Xn8f1vL
[/quote]

The answer is habitat. We don't have it or at least not much of it. Even in the areas considered to be lynx habitat there has never been a lot of them. It is quite possible they would disappear if it were not for dispersal from Canada.

[KFhunter]

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12518/0

[WAcoyotehunter]

[quote author=Humptulips

Are you kidding? Lynx were never and will never be of significant numbers in WA. To say they are not recovered ignores the fact that we are on the fringe of their range. There will never be more lynx in WA. It is that way in all lower 48 States that have lynx.

There may not have been as many lynx in WA as in BC, but there were lots more than we have today.  It was a sustainable population.  Interesting stuff in the WDFW document about lynx trapping, one guy in Ferry Co. Killed 23 in a season in the mid 70's, that kind of harvest makes me think there were more than a few around.

I'm curious why you think there could not be more lynx in WA? 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00394/wdfw00394.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjJ8_Pz_NHYAhVQ2mMKHdpOAVUQFjABegQIEhAB&usg=AOvVaw2aQQ0T2inw0yzV8Xn8f1vL

The answer is habitat. We don't have it or at least not much of it. Even in the areas considered to be lynx habitat there has never been a lot of them. It is quite possible they would disappear if it were not for dispersal from Canada.
[/quote]
You're absolutely right, they need habitat.  So I suppose it depends on us to protect that habitat and it rarely happens out of the goodness of our hearts, protection of the species (it's habitat) is the only way to help them. 

[KFhunter]

Why do we need to protect fringe animals?  Animals that are robust in other areas of the country?  Lynx are thick from Canada all the way up through Alaska, and our pockets of lynx on the bottom fringe of their range aren't anything special, they're the same animals.   

Lot of their habitat is already protected by other means, and according to the study they need multi layered forests and new growth forests.  Our recent fires will provide that and logging will provide the rest, perhaps by over protecting the forest we've shot the lynx in the foot by not logging and managing our forests.   We certainly haven't hunted or trapped them to dwindling numbers, so it's got to be habitat.  If they were thicker in the 70's then ask whats different from the 70's to now?   Logging. (or rather lack of)

[Katmai Guy]

Why do we need to protect fringe animals?  Animals that are robust in other areas of the country?  Lynx are thick from Canada all the way up through Alaska, and our pockets of lynx on the bottom fringe of their range aren't anything special, they're the same animals.   

Lot of their habitat is already protected by other means, and according to the study they need multi layered forests and new growth forests.  Our recent fires will provide that and logging will provide the rest, perhaps by over protecting the forest we've shot the lynx in the foot by not logging and managing our forests.   We certainly haven't hunted or trapped them to dwindling numbers, so it's got to be habitat.  If they were thicker in the 70's then ask whats different from the 70's to now?   Logging. (or rather lack of)

  they still log in Canada.  Nothing grows in old growth forests except moss and mushrooms, no brush, no little critters that eat or hid in brush, no big predators that eat little critters. Not to hard to figure out, logging helps a multitude of animals, not logging Might only help a little owl?   Over simplification of course, but possible.

[Southpole]

Maybe there's too much competition with Washington's other beloved predators  . Why would I choose to go hunt an area with 1000 other hunters when I could choose to hunt just as good, maybe better, of an area with maybe 100 other hunters in the woods. 

[KFhunter]

Maybe there's too much competition with Washington's other beloved predators  . Why would I choose to go hunt an area with 1000 other hunters when I could choose to hunt just as good, maybe better, of an area with maybe 100 other hunters in the woods.

You bring up a good point, the lower 48 states have a lot of bobcat that overlap marginal lynx areas.  They both eat snowshoe hare, and our Washington concrete snow enables both species to chase the same game.  Lynx have the advantage in deep fluffy snow, but our snow is only fluffy for a very short time limiting that evolutionary advantage of the Canadian lynx. 

[Humptulips]

The way I look at it if WA was a great place for lynx we would have a lot of them. There are a few here and more dispersing from Canada so we have the potential but something is not right so there never gets to be a lot of them.
I'm glad the USF&W service is talking about delisting. There are a lot higher priorities and we won't get sued if we catch one in a cage trap.

[TeacherMan]

We are not even in their range. There will never be a viable huntable population here and that’s okay.

[hunter399]

I would like to see the wall come down on logging , or setting aside forest land for there recovery, but at the same time keep them listed and protected ,In not gonna kill off a small population just cause they don't or can't recover due to all kinds of factors.so that's how I stand.

Pro logging ,tree thinning,forest mangement.
Pro keeping lynx listed.

[KFhunter]

I would like to see the wall come down on logging , or setting aside forest land for there recovery, but at the same time keep them listed and protected ,In not gonna kill off a small population just cause they don't or can't recover due to all kinds of factors.so that's how I stand.

Pro logging ,tree thinning,forest mangement.
Pro keeping lynx listed.

My remark about getting taller cages was tongue in cheek, no one is thinking about killing off the lynx, that's ludicrous.   We're talking about federal delisting, that's a long, LONG ways away from actually hunting or trapping them. 

We don't need to "set aside" forest land for their recovery, that would hurt the population.  Lynx (if you took the time to read about them) prefer new growth and multi-layered forest because that's what the rabbits like.   Rabbits don't like old growth crap that nothing grows under, old growth forest doesn't have yummy branches on the ground for hares, if you wanted to help the lynx then talk about logging and controlled burns, snowshoe love lodge pole pine and they like them small and young with branches right on the floor. 
They eat it, then partially digest it, then eat it again right out of their own anus, sort of like a cow chews it's cud. 

So no, we don't need to set aside anything.  We need to slash and burn and log and send the older lodge pole to the paper mills for news paper and paper towels and let new lodge pole grow to keep the rabbit numbers up.   And we need to cage more bobcat in lynx territory, and of course cougar needs reduced as well.   Even taking big male lynx would help them rebound so they kill less kits.   

This is all very simple, but the stuff I talk about doesn't help lock up more wilderness and control people access to the woods.


I for one would love to see far more lynx, they kill wolves.

[jager]

Thought some of you might like to see this.
Its been a while...

Im sure we'll never see this again.

[KFhunter]

That's awesome     No, we won't bee seeing that again. 

[Kit Carson]

That's cool 

[hunter399]

I would like to see the wall come down on logging , or setting aside forest land for there recovery, but at the same time keep them listed and protected ,In not gonna kill off a small population just cause they don't or can't recover due to all kinds of factors.so that's how I stand.

Pro logging ,tree thinning,forest mangement.
Pro keeping lynx listed.

My remark about getting taller cages was tongue in cheek, no one is thinking about killing off the lynx, that's ludicrous.   We're talking about federal delisting, that's a long, LONG ways away from actually hunting or trapping them. 

We don't need to "set aside" forest land for their recovery, that would hurt the population.  Lynx (if you took the time to read about them) prefer new growth and multi-layered forest because that's what the rabbits like.   Rabbits don't like old growth crap that nothing grows under, old growth forest doesn't have yummy branches on the ground for hares, if you wanted to help the lynx then talk about logging and controlled burns, snowshoe love lodge pole pine and they like them small and young with branches right on the floor. 
They eat it, then partially digest it, then eat it again right out of their own anus, sort of like a cow chews it's cud. 

So no, we don't need to set aside anything.  We need to slash and burn and log and send the older lodge pole to the paper mills for news paper and paper towels and let new lodge pole grow to keep the rabbit numbers up.   And we need to cage more bobcat in lynx territory, and of course cougar needs reduced as well.   Even taking big male lynx would help them rebound so they kill less kits.   

This is all very simple, but the stuff I talk about doesn't help lock up more wilderness and control people access to the woods.


I for one would love to see far more lynx, they kill wolves.

I said I was pro logging KF ,i totally agree on forest mamagment with ya.I work in forest production plant ,turning forest products into useable products.

noun: pro; plural noun: pros
1.
an advantage of something or an argument in favor of a course of action.
"the pros and cons of joint ownership"
preposition & adverb
preposition: pro; adverb: pro
1.
in favor of.
"they were pro the virtues of individualism"

[one more]

   Eat Wolves!!  Very funny!  Wish it were true.  Any way, you people have pointed out why lynx are not abundant in WA: low numbers of rabbits due to less logging and regrowth, and too much competition by mountain lions and bobcats.  Lynx would be easy to catch in a cage trap and release, too.  Take pictures if you do.
Diane

[KFhunter]

I threw that in there for good measure, there was a study done on lynx and wolves being together, due to the rumors that wolves were killing lynx.   

Turned out it was lynx killing lynx.  The big males (like a lot of cats) kill kits. 



However during this study they were shocked to find that lynx kill wolves, specifically pups.  They had video of a big male going into a wolf den and killing the pups, they also found other pups up to about 4 months old that had been killed by lynx. 
 
https://sidorovich.blog/2017/09/06/wolves-and-lynxes/

but to say "lynx kill wolves" is a stretch,  it's true  - but implies that it's some frequent occurrence which I doubt. 

[KFhunter]

I would like to see the wall come down on logging , or setting aside forest land for there recovery, but at the same time keep them listed and protected ,In not gonna kill off a small population just cause they don't or can't recover due to all kinds of factors.so that's how I stand.

Pro logging ,tree thinning,forest mangement.
Pro keeping lynx listed.

My remark about getting taller cages was tongue in cheek, no one is thinking about killing off the lynx, that's ludicrous.   We're talking about federal delisting, that's a long, LONG ways away from actually hunting or trapping them. 

We don't need to "set aside" forest land for their recovery, that would hurt the population.  Lynx (if you took the time to read about them) prefer new growth and multi-layered forest because that's what the rabbits like.   Rabbits don't like old growth crap that nothing grows under, old growth forest doesn't have yummy branches on the ground for hares, if you wanted to help the lynx then talk about logging and controlled burns, snowshoe love lodge pole pine and they like them small and young with branches right on the floor. 
They eat it, then partially digest it, then eat it again right out of their own anus, sort of like a cow chews it's cud. 

So no, we don't need to set aside anything.  We need to slash and burn and log and send the older lodge pole to the paper mills for news paper and paper towels and let new lodge pole grow to keep the rabbit numbers up.   And we need to cage more bobcat in lynx territory, and of course cougar needs reduced as well.   Even taking big male lynx would help them rebound so they kill less kits.   

This is all very simple, but the stuff I talk about doesn't help lock up more wilderness and control people access to the woods.


I for one would love to see far more lynx, they kill wolves.

I said I was pro logging KF ,i totally agree on forest mamagment with ya.I work in forest production plant ,turning forest products into useable products.

noun: pro; plural noun: pros
1.
an advantage of something or an argument in favor of a course of action.
"the pros and cons of joint ownership"
preposition & adverb
preposition: pro; adverb: pro
1.
in favor of.
"they were pro the virtues of individualism"

I took excepting to your idea of "setting aside forest for lynx habitat".    I perhaps came on a little too strong, I'm tired of the notion of setting aside land for every critter around.

[Okanagan]

I could be wrong but there sure seems like a lot of lynx habitat in WA to me, based on terrain/vegetation where I have found them elsewhere. North of Highway 20 from Ross Lake to the Idaho line should be as good for lynx as it is 6 inches north of the border.  There is good lynx ground south of Highway 20 as well.  In the 60's we had several lynx on a ranch south of Arlington, OR, dry sage and wheat country.  My uncle trapped two there one winter.  A game dept. biologist told me that it could not have been a lynx that I tracked on Crater Mountain because that is too far west for lynx.  Somebody should have told the lynx.

WA (and south central BC) won't have the lynx population density of northern BC or the Yukon but the numbers should be equal along both sides of the border.