WildEarth Guardians and three other groups filed a suit over critical lynx habitat Monday. Plaintiffs say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service excluded too much area in the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico and Colorado when they designated protected habitat for the Canada lynx.
"We just felt like they didn't take a close enough look," when designating critical habitat, said Matthew Bishop. Bishop works for the Western Environmental Law Center and is the lawyer representing the WildEarth Guardians in the suit.
The lawsuit calls for the court to strike down the government's September decision. The groups hope to send the issue back to federal officials for reconsideration.
The Fish and Wildlife Service stands behind their listing decision.
In a statement issued in September when the Critical Habitat Designation for the lynx was revised, Noreen Walsh, the Service’s Regional Director for the Mountain Prairie Region said, “Our final rule provides the Lynx with what it needs to persist and thrive for future generations of Americans."
