Coyote snaring is controversial enough on its own, but throw in three federally endangered species – bald eagles, gray wolves and Canada lynx – and even those who support the practice get antsy.

Now, one month into the snaring season, wildlife biologists are working to simplify the coyote debate by offering greater protection for these sensitive species.

Last week, biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department’s Old Town field office sent state wildlife management chief Ken Elowe a series of recommendations on how to change the snaring program to provide greater endangered species protection.

It’s up to the state whether to incorporate the new ideas into the official coyote snaring policy.

Every winter, the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife contracts with snarers to remove coyotes from deer wintering areas in an effort to protect beleaguered deer populations in far northern and eastern Maine.

A snare is a type of trap that uses a wire loop to kill its prey. While a skilled snarer can set the trap to favor coyotes, a dozen or more nontarget animals are killed by snares each year.

One lynx was known to have been killed by a snare in 1993. In the mid-1980s, two bald eagles were caught in snares, and last March a third dead eagle was found in Penobscot County. It may have been the victim of a snare.

Only a handful of endangered animals have ever been reported killed by snares, but biologists and animal rights activists alike worry that snarers don’t always report the accidental deaths of endangered animals, for fear that it might harm the coyote control program.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife recommendations, written primarily by field office supervisor Gordon Russell and endangered species specialist Mark McCullough, suggests using third-party inspectors to periodically verify snarers’ reports.

“It’s just uncertain how well snarers are doing at reporting the nontarget catch that they take,” McCullough said.

State and federal biologists have always worked cooperatively, but recent changes prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to become more involved.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife received the recommendations on Christmas Eve, but with the holiday, it has yet to submit an official reply. Elowe could not be reached for comment Monday.

In October, state officials approved a slate of changes designed to make coyote snaring more efficient and humane. Some of these changes, such as a clearer system of where and when snarers should be deployed, will benefit endangered species, Russell said.

A new policy requiring powerful cam-lock snares, designed to kill instantly, gives endangered species less of a chance, however.

McCullough suggests that killing snares be banned from the large areas that harbor lynx and perhaps someday wolves.

“There are other options if coyote control is really necessary,” he said. Foothold traps, leg snares and sharpshooters could all be employed to kill coyotes while protecting endangered predators.

Additional protection could be granted by requiring that snarers check their traps every 24 hours, instead of the current 72 hours. While most animals are killed by snares almost instantly, some endangered species could be saved if found and released sooner, McCullough said.

To protect eagles, federal biologists suggest that the baiting of snares be banned. A few skilled snarers already lay their traps along the game paths where coyotes typically hunt, so that bait is not needed.

Finally, the federal biologists suggested that the current four-month snaring season be shortened to protect lynx during their March breeding season. The season was extended into March just this year.

Endangered species are becoming a more integral part of the snaring debate, in part due to successful recovery efforts.

Bald eagles, which have a chance of being downgraded to “threatened” status in the next few years, have increased their population along the coast and are colonizing inland and northern Maine.

Knowledge about Canada lynx has improved greatly, giving scientists a more accurate picture of the predators’ population and range. Recent reports along the Quebec border indicate that a population of gray wolves very likely could migrate into Maine within the decade.

“If a wolf did find its way into Maine, chances are it would end up in a deer yard, where snaring is taking place,” McCullough said.

The biologists said Monday that adding their recommendations to the evolving coyote snaring policy would help to reduce unintended impacts on other species.

“If they followed the letter to a T, there would still be a chance that a lynx or an eagle could get caught in a snare,” McCullough said.

But, implementing the recommendations would “go a long way toward a good-faith effort” to protect endangered species, he said.