Settlement reached in
lawsuit over lynx

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will issue a finding in two weeks on a petition by environmental groups to protect the lynx in New Mexico.

The deadline comes in a settlement reached by several environmental groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service in a lawsuit the organizations filed against the federal agency this spring.

Lynx have been reintroduced in southern Colorado, and some of the animals have crossed into New Mexico. Although they are protected as a threatened species in Colorado under the Endangered Species Act, they have no federal protection in New Mexico.

Rob Edward of WildEarth Guardians says lynx don't recognize lines on a map.

He says the settlement requiring a finding by Dec. 15 offers hope for lynx in the Southwest.