By Gail Binkly

The restitution money paid to the Colorado Division of Wildlife by a Louisiana man for killing a lynx will help fund the state’s lynx-reintroduction program, according to DOW spokesman Todd Malmsbury.

Lloyd B. Mulkey of Deridder, La., pleaded guilty Monday in Dolores County Court to illegal possession of an endangered species for shooting the lynx Oct. 31 in the Glade area east of the Dolores River.

Under a plea-bargain agreement, he agreed to pay $13,328 in restitution to the DOW and $5,000 to Operation Game Thief. In addition, he will forfeit the all-terrain vehicle he was riding and the .270-caliber rifle he used to shoot the feline, and perform 100 hours of community service in his home town. He gave up all hunting and fishing privileges in Colorado and was placed on one year’s unsupervised probation.

Malmsbury praised the efforts of District Attorney Mike Green in obtaining the plea bargain.

"Mike Green deserves a lot of credit for this for pursuing it aggressively," Malmsbury said. "Sometimes crimes against wildlife are not taken seriously, but I think more and more, across Colorado and the nation, that is changing.

"It takes local courts and district attorneys to enforce these laws. We really appreciate the work Mike Green and his staff did on this."

Mulkey’s restitution money, Malmsbury said, will go into the recovery program for the lynx, which is now in its third year and costing approximately $200,000 a year. Only about 10 percent of the money comes from the division’s regular wildlife money, which is supplied by revenues from hunting and fishing licenses.

An early donation of $200,000 from the Vail Ski Area gave a jump-start to the program, which brought 41 lynx to the south San Juan Mountains last winter. The Turner Foundation donated $30,000 this year and Great Outdoors Colorado lottery money also provides significant funding, Malmsbury said.

Mulkey’s $13,000 "will be another source of money for us," Malmsbury said. The ATV may be used by the division in its work, he said, while he was uncertain what would become of the rifle.