A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that said the U.S. Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act by harming grizzly bears. It’s not the last challenge to the agency’s policies for closing logging roads.
The U.S. District Court in Missoula previously ruled that the Forest Service wasn’t doing enough to protect grizzlies through the agency’s efforts to block motorized access on decommissioned logging roads.
But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rendered that decision moot because the Forest Service is using a new policy to guide how it closes roads.
The Forest Service applauded the ruling, saying it vindicated the agency. But the Swan View Coalition, one of the plaintiffs in the original case, says the agency is still harming bears by improperly decommissioning roads and another lawsuit is underway.
