• Home
• Research
  • Research Questions
    • Distribution
    • Abundance
    • Habitat Use
    • Perisistence
  • Research Results
    • Number of Study Animals
    • Hare Density with Mark-Recapture
    • Reproduction and Kitten Survival
    • Mortality
    • Hare Pellet Plots and Cover Type
• Methods
  • Demography
  • Home Range
  • Habitat Utilization
  • Genetic samples
  • Snowtracking and backtracking
  • Mesocarnivores
  • Automatic camera surveys
  • Prey species surveys
  • National lynx survey protocol
  • Interpreting activity counts in GPS collars
• Animals and Images
  • Lynx 1-15
    • Lynx 1
    • Lynx 2
    • Lynx 3
    • Lynx 4
    • Lynx 5
    • Lynx 6
    • Lynx 7
    • Lynx 8
    • Lynx 9
    • Lynx 10
    • Lynx 11
    • Lynx 12
    • Lynx 13
    • Lynx 14
    • Lynx 15
  • Lynx 16-49
    • Lynx 16
    • Lynx 17
    • Lynx 19
    • Lynx 20
    • Lynx 21
    • Lynx 24
    • Lynx 25
    • Lynx 26
    • Lynx 27
    • Lynx 28
    • Lynx 29
    • Lynx 30
    • Lynx 31
    • Lynx 32
    • Lynx 33
    • Lynx 34
    • Lynx 35
    • Lynx 36
    • Lynx 43
    • Lynx 45
  • Lynx Dens
    • Lynx 07 2004 Den
    • Lynx 13 2004 Den
    • Lynx 14 2004 Den
    • Lynx 07 2005 Den
    • Lynx 13 2005 Den
    • Lynx 14 2005 Den
    • Lynx 31 2005 Den
  • Trail Cameras
  • Videos
  • Audio
  • Public Pictures
    • Brimson
    • Birch Lake
    • BWCAW
    • Caribou Trail
    • Duluth
    • Grand Portage
    • Grand Marais
    • Greenwood Lake
    • Gunflint Trail
    • Hovland
    • Rollins
    • Sullivan Lake
  • Bobcats
• Information
  • Lynx or Bobcat?
  • Lynx-bobcat hybridization
  • Legal status
  • National Lynx Survey
  • Lynx-hare cycle
  • Radiotelemetry
  • GPS collars
  • GIS
  • Literature cited
• Publications
  • 2003 Annual Report
    (3.1 MB pdf)
  • 2004 Annual Report
    (1.2 MB pdf)
  • 2005 Annual Report
    (0.8 MB pdf)
  • Snow Track Survey Report 2005 (3.2 MB pdf)
  • Test camera Rurvey Report
    (272 KB pdf)
  • NLDS Report 2006
    (673 KB pdf)

Determining Current Distribution

Occasional lynx sightings in the late 1990’s prompted initial surveys for Canada lynx in the western Great Lakes area. These surveys were carried out under the National Lynx Survey (NLS) protocol. The National Lynx Survey was designed to detect the presence of Canada lynx following a specific protocol using scent stations and hair snares to snag hairs. The NLS protocol was followed beginning in 1998 for sampling areas of about 100 mi² in the Ottawa National Forest in the western portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Nicolet National Forest in northeastern Wisconsin, the Chequamegan National Forest in northcentral Wisconsin, the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, and the Chippewa National Forest in northcentral Minnesota.

Although the NLS protocol has been successful in detecting lynx presence in the western states (MT, WY, WA), there were no hits with lynx hairs found on the snag pads in the Great Lakes region, while a half dozen hits with bobcat hairs were found. Although one possibility was that Canada lynx did not exist in the Great Lakes Region, sightings and genetic evidence from scat and hair samples discounted this possibility. Canada lynx were present in the areas where the NLS protocol failed to detect their presence

Therefore, it was necessary to consider other methods to determine current distribution of Canada lynx. One of these methods was relying on professionals and the general public to report Canada lynx sightings. The value of a sightings database increases with time. The database has been in existence for about 4 years, and the pattern of sightings indicate that Canada lynx distribution, in Minnesota at least, approaches the historical distribution in the state. Some of these sightings are unconfirmed, other sightings records come with photographic or video evidence. While one might want to discount the unconfirmed sightings, the large number and geographic consistency of reported sightings suggest that some confidence in obtaining current distribution from the public reporting of sightings is warranted.

Canada Lynx sightings in Minnesota (March 2000 - November 18, 2003). Taken from MN DNR website, December 2003. Click here to visit original website, and to check for updated maps.