The Colorado Division of Wildlife reported that a radio-collared Canada lynx was poached near Silverton–likely with a bow and arrow, according to the Durango Herald. The State offered a reward.

To step up the enticement, a coalition of conservation groups, including WildEarth Guardians announced yesterday it would offer an additional $4,800 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for poaching Colorado’s endangered wildcat.

This was a cowardly, stupid, and wasteful act that follows on the heels of several other lynx-poaching incidents in Colorado over the past several years.  Shame on the poachers!  If you’ve got the scoop, please tip off Operation Game Thief  at 1-877-265-6648 and get yourself some bucks  for a righteous deed.

This is an undated photograph taken in May 2009 at an undisclosed located and supplied by the Colorado Division of Wildlife that shows a lynx kitten, which is one of 10 born this spring in Colorado, according to researchers. The discovery of the kittens after finding none the last two years and the location of some of the newborns outside what is considered the cats' core area have buoyed the hopes of biologists overseeing the restoration of the long-haired mountain feline to the Centennial State. (AP Photo/Colorado Division of Wildlife) (AP)

Despite the federal government’s best efforts to downplay the resiliency of the rekindled lynx population in the Southern Rockies, this year we’ve seen an uptick in the number of wild-borne kittens.  Now, we need the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to own their legal responsibility to protect the habitat of these secretive cats.

Click here for the related Associated Press story.

In an effort to undo some of the damage done in the last gasp of the previous administration, President Obama issued a memorandum that will direct departments to return to the practice of  consulting  with the two agencies on decisions that could affect imperiled plants and animals.

“Today President Obama will restore rules requiring U.S. agencies consult with independent federal experts to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species, according to an administration official who asked not to be identified, marking yet another reversal of President Bush’s environmental legacy.“

Read more here…

and here…

The Today Show aired a short (<3 minute) segment on the reaction of one Colorado town to recent reports of coyotes bitng or threatening people.  Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians was featured as a voice of reason on the segment, and will have more to say on this topic on this blog soon.  In the meantime, you can view the segment by clicking here.

As a Boy Scout, I always appreciated the basic ethic of wilderness protection and survival skills that the organization appeared to embody.  Sadly, the institution seems to have been preaching one thing, whilst practicing something altogether different, as we learn in this video from Stephen Colbert.  As Stephen says, “The Boy Scouts of America proudly raise the Scout sign and tell their own conservation code to read between the lines.”

~ Rob Edward

For those who want to know more, the Seattle Post Intelligencer did a great story on the issue.  Click here to read the story.