SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST—“It’s amazing what you can learn from feces.” So says Sara Malick-Wahls, a U.S. Forest Service biologist on the Kawishiwi Ranger District, near Ely, who outlined ongoing Canada Lynx research on the Superior National Forest to about 50 members of the Ely Field Naturalists earlier this month.

The research, which began in the late 1990s as the species was under consideration for federal listing, initially had little success, as traditional sampling methods proved ineffective on lynx in northeastern Minnesota. The lack of solid evidence of lynx in the region convinced some biologists, particularly with the Department of Natural Resources, that lynx were only occasional visitors to the state, and did not represent a viable breeding population.

But in 2001, the Forest Service began snow-tracking of lynx for the first time, and the technique proved remarkably effective, says Malick-Wahls. For experienced biologists, lynx tracks are readily recognizable and researchers soon learned that they only needed to follow the tracks to collect what they really needed to determine the status of the lynx in the state: DNA.

Sometimes, researchers could collect DNA from strands of hair left behind by lynx, but these could be tough to find. “We’ve been getting occasional DNA samples from captured animals or road kills, but scat, by far, is our most effective way,” said Malick-Wahls.

The new method revolutionized the study of lynx in northeastern Minnesota and offered researchers their best look yet at the region’s lynx population. “The assumption was that we didn’t have a viable breeding population of lynx. This work showed we do have a significant reproducing population,” said Malick-Wahls.

Over the past 15 years, researchers on the Superior have gathered over 1,400 samples, mostly scat, from their snow- tracking efforts. Laboratory analysis of those samples have confirmed that nearly 1,200 came from lynx and 988 of those were identified to the individual level. Of those, most were identified from central Lake County, where much of the lynx research has been focused. Longtime biologist and Babbitt resident Steve Loch has collected a significant percentage of the samples from that part of the study area. But samples have come from other parts of the Superior National Forest as well, with about a 15 percent of samples coming from St. Louis County, and about ten percent from Cook County. Biologists believe that the largest population of lynx in Minnesota is found within the Boundary Waters wilderness, but Malick-Wahls said the remoteness of the area has kept researchers from surveying the 1.1 million-acre region.

The ongoing research has not only confirmed large numbers of lynx on the Superior National Forest, it has also confirmed a significant breeding population, said Malick-Wahls. Researchers have confirmed a total of 92 lynx kittens in the region, from 24 separate family groups.

“We’ve identified 24 different mothers and 13 fathers,” said Malick-Wahls. Researchers have also identified what they call “super moms” and “super dads,” animals which have successfully bred multiple times in the region.

The DNA research has also confirmed that lynx and bobcat are hybridizing at times, although it appears to remain a fairly rare occurrence, with just a few individuals confirmed as hybrids. But the few examples are a concern to researchers, particularly given the threatened status of the lynx. “We’re trying to restore a threatened species, and this is diluting the gene pool,” said Malick-Wahls.

While hybrids have been documented, there appears to be no evidence, at this point, that the individual hybrids have successfully bred, which may limit their impact on the lynx gene pool.

Bobcat are a significant issue for lynx, said Malick-Wahls, since they are more aggressive and provide tough competition for available prey. Bobcats were once rare in northeastern Minnesota, but have expanded their range to the north as winters have grown warmer. Still, northeastern Minnesota remains on the northern fringes of bobcat range and their population density can fluctuate a lot depending on winter severity. Lynx, with exceptionally thick fur, long legs, and wide padded feet, are well adapted for the boreal forest environment, which gives them a distinct advantage in severe winters.

With the existence of lynx now well-established scientifically, Malick-Wahls said researchers are turning their attention to learning more about the specific habitat needs of lynx. She said the snowshoe hare comprises about 90-95 percent of a lynx’s diet, so good hare habitat generally makes good lynx habitat, with some caveats. “The best hare areas are too thick for lynx to move around in,” said Malick-Wahls. While hares often prefer recent disturbances, she said hares also need enough woody debris to create adequate hiding places. While large fires can create good hare and lynx habitat, Malick-Wahls said it depends a lot on how hot the fires burn. If the fires burn all the coarse woody material, it can leave few hiding places for hares, and that can keep hares, and lynx, from using those areas for as many as ten years following a fire. She said there is now evidence of increasing hare and lynx usage in the Cavity and Ham lake burns, both of which occurred close to a decade ago.

Timber harvesting is another means of disturbance and Malick-Wahls said minor modifications in logging practices, to leave more debris, can ensure that timber cuts leave behind useful hare and lynx habitat. She did say, however, that fuel reduction efforts, which tend to clear underbrush and lower vegetation may be diminishing the quality of hare and lynx habitat in areas where such techniques are being used. “It’s a hard debate to have right now. We have way more fuels on the landscape than originally. But where fuel reduction takes place, we’re seeing less lynx usage.”

How you can help

Malick-Wahls said the Forest Service is still interested in reports of lynx activity, particularly where tracks in the snow make it possible to gather scat. You can contact the Kawishiwi Ranger District at 218-365-7600, or the Laurentian Ranger District (ask for Dan Ryan) at 218-229-8800.