At 11:48 AM 3/1/97 -0800, Mary Poss wrote:

>Lynx like to travel through dense lodgepole but do not hunt there. And in 5
>years and approx 20 miles of following lynx tracks, we have never followed
>one for any distance on a ridgetop. They follow a contour about 200 ft
>above riparian areas and chose appropriate forest types to ascend or
>descend, depending on whether they are foraging or traveling. I mention
>this only because the "management guidelines" for lynx call for protection
>of ridgetop corridors for travel, and stand conversion to young lodgepole
>(eg clearcutting mature lodgepole stands) to provide for foraging areas.

Wonderful to sit here at sea level and hear about the movements of Lynx in
our Okanogan Highlands. I wonder if the intention of the management
guidelines is to provide habitat for the primary forage species, Snowshoe
Hare, rather than actually providing habitat in which the foraging
activities of Lynx are believed to occur. I know that the management
guidelines call for a mix of different forest stand ages. There is no
intention to eliminate the old-growth component. It is my understanding
that fire suppression has resulted in loss of considerable amounts of young,
over-stocked lodgepole stands that were typical over vast acreages in
historic times. These "thickets" are excellent snowshoe hare habitat, are
they not?

Kelly McAllister
Olympia, Washington