Judge halts logging project over failure to analyze impacts to grizzlies and lynx

A federal judge halted a logging project in northwest Montana on Monday. The court says federal officials didn’t properly evaluate whether the project would harm threatened grizzly bears and Canada lynx.

The Ripley Project on the Kootenai National Forest near Libby would include roughly 11,000 acres of commercial logging and allow for the construction of nearly 20 miles of new roads.

Alliance for the Wild Rockies sued the U.S. Forest Service over the project, saying the project would harm threatened grizzly bears and Canada lynx.

Montana District Court Judge Dana Christensen ruled that the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service failed to properly analyze how the logging project could harm those species, violating the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws.

Christensen ordered the agencies to reassess the project’s impact in accordance with the law.

The Forest Service declined to comment on the ruling.

Lisa Landenburger, USGS - Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. Public domain. Sources: IUCN, M. Proctor, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.

Montana News

Timeline: A History Of Grizzly Bear Recovery In The Lower 48 States

Josh Burnham

Facing threats from habitat loss, hunting and conflicts with people and livestock, grizzly bear numbers dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in the lower 48 by the time the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was implemented in 1975. Now, wildlife managers say the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide populations have recovered and are ready for delisting. Here's a timeline of the management actions, court cases and notable events that have shaped grizzly bear recovery since their ESA listing through today.