Environmentalists went to federal court Tuesday in hopes of stopping Bitterroot National Forest road plans they fear will harm grizzly bears and bull trout.
With both animals protected under the Endangered Species Act, the lawsuit filed by Earthjustice on behalf of four conservation organizations contends the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service erred in the drafting of the national forest’s latest management plan amendments.
“Roads displace grizzly bears and degrade bull trout streams,” Earthjustice attorney Ben Scrimshaw said in a statement, adding that “allowing for limitless road building and motorized use through this area is a huge step backward in the quest for recovery.”
Earthjustice filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana on behalf of Friends of the Bitterroot, Friends of the Clearwater, the Native Ecosystems Council and WildEarth Guardians.
