Judge upholds lynx habitat in Minn., 5 other states

A judge in Wyoming has mostly upheld a federal decision to designate land in six states as critical habitat for the threatened Canada lynx.

The designated habitat is scattered over parts of Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Wyoming and adds up to 39,000 square miles, an area the size of Indiana.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the habitat last year, prompting a lawsuit from snowmobile enthusiast groups in Wyoming and Washington state.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal almost entirely upheld the designation Thursday after hearing oral arguments. Her lone exception is certain national forest land in northern Washington state where Freudenthal says Fish and Wildlife didn't adequately consider the economic effects of designating the habitat.

Freudenthal says she will issue a written ruling soon.

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