WildEarth Guardians was in court today defending grizzly bears and wild places on the Flathead National Forest. Check out the video above to see what our staff attorney, Marla Fox, had to say as she exited the federal courthouse in Missoula, Montana immediately following the court hearing.
The Flathead National Forest in northwestern Montana is a crown jewel of America’s public lands. Bordering Glacier National Park and Canada, the national forest contains some of the most intact wildlands and free-flowing rivers in the country and is a key part of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. The Flathead is a refuge for many imperiled species—including grizzly bears, Canada lynx, gray wolves, wolverine, and bull trout. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service’s revised Forest Plan, which will guide all future forest activities for the next 15 years or more, is prioritizing resource extraction activities that destroy habitats and disturb wildlife—industrial logging, road building, motorized wreckreation, and livestock grazing.
That’s why WildEarth Guardians and our allies have sued the U.S. Forest Service, challenging the revised Flathead Forest Plan for failing to take a hard look at the plan’s impacts on grizzly bears and wild places. We’re also challenging the Forest Service’s decision to adopt a decade-old winter travel plan without considering new winter travel planning requirements and changes in the status of imperiled species and habitat since it was first adopted, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding that the Flathead Forest Plan isn’t dangerous to grizzly bears and other wildlife, and the habitat they need to survive.
This lawsuit is another prime example of WildEarth Guardians’ relentless defense of grizzly bears and wild public lands. Guardians like you have been with us every step of the way, previously submitting thousands of comments to the U.S. Forest Service during the Flathead Forest Plan revision process and speaking out in support of grizzlies. Thank you!
Please also consider making a donation to our Grizzly Bear Defense Fund. Every dollar raised will be put to work defending grizzlies and preserving habitat on public lands. We will never stop fighting for grizzly bears, and with you at our side, we will guard the Great Bear.
Guardians’ staff outside of Missoula Courthouse, Missoula, MT, May 27, 2021. L-R: Jeremy Nichols, Marla Fox, Adam Rissien, Samantha Ruscavage-Barz, and Sarah McMillan.
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