canada lynx hearing to be held in montana

JOINT NEWS RELEASE

                      U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS REHBERG

                        U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
                            MOUNTAIN-PRAIRIE REGION

December 20, 2005         &n bsp;         Co ntacts: Diane Katzenberger, FWS,
303-236-4578
For Immediate Release                                   Brad Keena, Rep.
Rehberg, 202-225-2490
05-88


   U.S. Representative Dennis Rehberg and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service
   Announce Public Hearing and Meetings Regarding the Proposed Critical
        Habitat Designation for Canada Lynx Scheduled for Montana


                Kalispell, Helena, and Great Falls Locations

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a public hearing on
Tuesday,
January 10, 2006 at the Westcoast Kalispell Center, 20 North Main
Street,
Kalispell, Montana to provide an opportunity for the public to comment
on a
proposal by the Service to designate critical habitat for Canada lynx
in
northwestern Montana and other parts of the species’ range in the
lower 48
states. The hearing will begin at 6:00 pm with a brief informal
presentation and discussion followed by formal public testimonies until
8:00 pm. Written comments will also be accepted at the hearing.

In addition to the public hearing, the Service has also scheduled
public
meetings on January 4, 2006 at the Lewis and Clark Public Library, 120
South Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana and January 5, 2006 at the
Townhouse Inn, 1411 10th Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana. These
meetings will be informational open houses with a presentation followed
by
a question-and-answer session and will run from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
The
public can provide written comments at these meetings.

These additional informational meetings were scheduled in response to a
request from U.S. Representative Dennis Rehberg (Montana – At Large)
on
behalf of Montanans interested in the proposed critical habitat and
conservation status of Canada lynx.

"Montanans deserve a fair chance to actively participate in the
discussion.
I appreciate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service realizing the
importance of
public involvement by providing more opportunities for Montanans to
participate� said Representative Rehberg. Considering the large
number of
Montana counties affected by this proposal, it is important that
Montanans
have adequate opportunity to obtain additional information on this
issue."

“The Service believes that the proposed critical habitat designation
for
Canada lynx is an appropriate approach that acknowledges conservation
activities currently underway on Federally-managed lands throughout the
lynx’s range,� said Mitch King, Acting Regional Director of the
Service’s
Mountain-Prairie Region. “We appreciate Congressman Rehberg’s
interest in
the conservation of Canada lynx and his efforts to help ensure
Montanans
are fully informed about the proposed critical habitat designation for
this
species,� King said.

The Service proposed critical habitat for the Canada lynx on November 9
in
compliance with a court order. The proposal encompasses approximately
26,935 square miles of land in portions of northern Maine, northeastern
Minnesota, the northern Rocky Mountains (northwestern Montana and a
small
portion of northern Idaho), and the Okanogan area of the northern
Cascades
in north-central Washington.

The area in Montana under consideration includes approximately 10,760
square miles in portions of Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lewis and Clark,
Lincoln, Missoula, Pondera, Powell, and Teton Counties. This value
reflects National Forest lands that have not been proposed for
designation.

The Canada lynx was listed in 2000 as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) throughout its range in the contiguous
United
States. The lynx currently lives in boreal forests in five geographic
regions: the Northeast, the Great Lakes, the Northern Rocky Mountains,
the
Southern Rocky Mountains, and the Cascade Mountains. The Service is
proposing to designate areas in four of these regions as critical
habitat.

Areas proposed as critical habitat for the Canada lynx include boreal
forest landscapes that provide beneficial habitat elements for the
lynx,
including snowshoe hares for prey and sufficient woody debris for use
as
den sites. All proposed areas have recent verified records of lynx
occurrence and reproduction and thus are considered occupied.

Public comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until February 7,
2006. Written comments can be submitted via e-mail to
FW6_lynx@fws.gov
or
mailed to Montana Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 100 N.
Park
Avenue, Suite 320, Helena, Montana 59601.

A copy of the proposed rule and other information about the Canada lynx
is
available on the Internet at
http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/mammals/lynx or by calling the
Service’s Montana Field Office at 406-449-5225.

The Service is preparing a draft economic analysis of the proposed
critical
habitat that will be released for public review and comment at a later
date.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife
Refuge
System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of
small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69
national
fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81
ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird
populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores
wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their
conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program,
which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on
fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

                                       -FWS-