Mountain-Prairie Region Endangered Species Program

August 22, 1991: A petition to list the "North American" (Canada) lynx in the North Cascades ecosystem of Washington as an endangered species and to designate critical habitat was received by the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) from the National Audubon Society and 11 other organizations .

October 6, 1992: The Service published a notice of a 90-day finding (57 FR 46007) indicating that the petition to list the "North American" (Canada) lynx in the North Cascades did not provide substantial information. Region 1 (Portland Regional Office) had the lead on the petition because the petitioned area was confined to that Region. Region 6 (Denver Regional Office) had the national lead for the lynx.

Late 1992 or 1993: The Greater Ecosystem Alliance and other organizations sued the Service over the negative 90-day finding announced on October 6, 1992.

April 28, 1993: A settlement agreement was reached whereby the Service agreed to reevaluate the negative 90-day finding announced on October 6, 1992, in light of new information that was submitted by the petitioners.

July 9, 1993: The Service published a notice (58 FR 36924) indicating that the negative 90-day finding had been revisited by Region 1, but that there still was not substantial information to support the petitioned action. However, the Service announced in the notice that it believed that sufficient evidence existed to indicate that an in-depth rangewide status review for the lynx should be conducted and that the Service intended to commence this status review.

November 30, 1993: A second settlement agreement was reached. The Service agreed to complete and publish the results of a status review throughout the lower 48 States by November 14 1994.

February 2, 1994: The Service published a notice (59 FR 4887) indicating that it was soliciting information for a rangewide status review. The Service indicated that it would complete and publish its finding no later than November 15 1994. Region 6 was given the lead.

April 27, 1994: A petition to list the "North American" (Canada) lynx in the contiguous United States and to emergency list the southern Rocky Mountain population was received from the Biodiversity Legal Foundation and four individuals.

August 26, 1994: The Service published a notice (59 FR 44123) indicating that the Service's administrative 90-day finding found that the petition received April 27, 1994, presented substantial information indicating the requested action for the contiguous United States population may be warranted, but there was not substantial information to indicate that an emergency listing of a southern Rocky Mountain population was warranted.

December 27, 1994: The Service published a notice (59 FR 66507) indicating that the Service's 12-month finding was that listing the Canada lynx in the contiguous United States was not warranted. The finding represented the Service's administrative finding as a result of the status review agreed to in the April 28, 1993, lawsuit settlement and the administrative 12-month finding for the petition received April 27, 1994.

January 30, 1996: The Defenders Of Wildlife and 14 other organizations and individuals sued the Service in the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, over the not warranted petition finding that was announced in the Federal Register on December 27, 1994.

March 27, 1997: The court issued an opinion and order setting aside the not warranted finding and remanded it back to the Service for further consideration. The Service was ordered to publish a 12-month on the status of the lynx within 60 days.

May 27, 1997: The Service published a 12-month petition finding (62 FR 28653) that the Canada lynx population in the contiguous United States was warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act but precluded by actions on other species of higher taxonomic status. This warranted but precluded finding automatically elevated the Canada lynx to candidate species status.

September 15, 1997 Defenders of Wildlife et al. filed suit against the Service in the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, arguing that the Service violated the Endangered Species Act in finding that listing the Canada lynx population in the contiguous United States was warranted but precluded (published in the Federal Register May 27, 1997).

December 22, 1997: The court denied the plaintiffs' Motion to Enforce Judgement against the Service's May 1997 finding that listing the Canada lynx population in the contiguous United States was warranted but precluded. At the same time, the court set an expedited schedule and hearing date (March 18, 1998) for the lawsuit filed in September 1997.

February 11, 1998: The Service and the Plaintiffs reached a settlement that calls for the Service to publish a proposed rule to list the Canada lynx in the contiguous United States by June 30, 1998. The settlement has been submitted to the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia for approval.

June 30, 1998: The Service issues a proposed rule to list the contiguous United States population of the Canada lynx as threatened. Critical habitat was not proposed.

July 8, 1998: Proposed rule is published in the Federal Register

July 8, 1999: Notice of 6-month extension of final listing decision published in Federal Register.

March 24, 2000: Final rule listing the contiguous United States population of the Canada lynx as threatened published in the Federal Register.

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