Lynx may stalk forests above Sisters

The elusive and enigmatic Canada lynx may roam in the forests above Sisters.

Surveys completed recently in the Deschutes National Forest generated at least eight possible lynx "hits" on specialized scratching pads, according to Sisters Ranger District wildlife biologist Laurie Turner.

"Something came to the pads placed by biologists," Turner reported. "We have hair samples."

The small pads are crafted from squares of shag carpet with a series of short, sharp nails protruding through the shag. Biologists nail the pads to a tree and bait them with beaver castor, catnip oil and dried catnip, Turner explained.

To further attract the attention of the wild cats, an aluminum pie plate is cut in the shape of an "S" and hung from a nearby branch. The aluminum reflects light even on dark nights, drawing the animals' attention and the scent on the pad induces them to rub, according to Turner.

Recent surveys for the Canada lynx are required under the Northwest Forest Plan (NFP), which originally drew attention to the impacts of logging on the northern spotted owl.

Although the owl achieved icon status as an indicator of healthy forests, a host of additional species were identified in the plan as needing some level of protection.

According to the plan's "Standards and Guidelines," the Canada lynx is a candidate species for listing as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The NFP established reserves that would provide the lynx with suitable areas of denning habitat connected through a network of mountain streams. The plan also dubbed the lynx a "protection buffer species," which mandated surveys prior to any ground disturbing activities within the range of the animal's habitat.

Turner said the Deschutes National Forest has not conducted such activities in potential lynx habitat.

According to the Sisters/ Why-chus Watershed Analysis the lynx's presence "has been documented historically" in the forests above Sisters.

"In 1916, a trapper brought a lynx into Bend and its pelt was donated to the Smithsonian," the report states. "... in 1923, a lynx was caught and kept as a pet in Bend (and) one was killed on Black Butte in 1949." More recent lynx sightings near Sisters include one near Suttle Lake in 1986 and the most recent siting in this watershed in 1997.

"Lynx may not have been common or abundant but they were always present," the study reports. "Their main prey, the snowshoe hare, is somewhat common throughout the watershed."

"Three primary habitat components for lynx are: foraging habitat (15-35-year-old lodgepole pine to support snowshoe hare and provide hunting cover); denning sites (patches of greater than 200-year-old spruce and fir, generally less than 5 acres); and dispersal travel cover (variable vegetation composition and structure)," the NFP states.

The watershed analysis lists appropriate lynx habitat near Sisters as "generally above 4,000 feet ... in or near the wilderness areas, Trout Creek Butte area, upper Pole Creek, Three Creek Lake area, Black Crater and upper Squaw Creek."

Turner said the recent surveys resulted in two hits in the Sisters Ranger District, and three each in the Crescent and Bend-Fort Rock districts.

"The ones on Crescent are a pretty good possibility," she said. "On (the) Sisters (district), we just don't know."

According to Turner, hair samples were sent the Forest Service Research Station laboratory in Missoula, Montana for DNA analysis. The results should be available within one or two months.

"We're still learning about what lynx need this far south," Turner said. "Our habitat doesn't fit exactly with what's in the North Cascades, but (these studies) will determine appropriate habitat in the south part of its range."

The Canada lynx was listed as threatened in June 1998 throughout its range in lower 48, according to the NFP.

The decline of the species is attributed to "loss or modification of habitat, overtrapping, inadequate regulatory mechanisms to protect habitat, and increased human induced changes in habitat that have allowed other species (such as bobcats and coyotes) to move into lynx habitat and compete for prey.

Other activities that have adversely impacted lynx include: timber