Beaverhead-Deerlodge Revised Forest Plan Challenged in Court
Groups Seek Protections for Skiing and Winter Habitat
Missoula – Backcountry skiers and wolverines lose when mixed with snowmobiles, especially on Mt. Jefferson in the Centennial Valley. So says conservation and recreation groups who jointly filed a lawsuit today over the revised Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Plan. The organizations explain that the agency did not follow its own rules when designating areas for snowmobile use, which include Mt. Jefferson, as well as the West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area and the West Big Hole, among others.Groups filing the lawsuit include Wildlands CPR, Montanans for Quiet Recreation, and Friends of the Bitterroot. Claiming that the Forest Service failed to carefully plan for snowmobile use, the coalition is challenging the decision to designate winter motorized recreation across 60 percent of the forest.
Such a large area open to unlimited use has the potential to harm wildlife and cause conflicts with other recreationists. Nowhere is that better illustrated than on Mt. Jefferson, which straddles the Montana/Idaho border. Used by wolverine and back-country skiers, the area has become a destination for extreme snowmobilers coming over the border from Island Park, ID.Pat McKenna, former backcountry ski guide and board member of Montanans for Quiet Recreation stated, “Virtually every acre of Mt. Jefferson along the Idaho border is open to motorized winter use to the point that skiers and other quiet users, like me, have only one last corner free from snowmobile noise and exhaust; a protected area that snowmobilers violate all the time.”
“The Centennial and Beaverhead Mountain Ranges serve as a vital travel route connecting wolverines between Idaho and Greater Yellowstone as well as providing crucial wolverine denning habitat,” explained Adam Rissien with Wildlands CPR. “Allowing heavy snowmobile use may cause wolverine to abandon dens and preclude their ability to travel safely through these important areas.”
Also at issue are portions of the Sapphire Wilderness Study Area that were left unprotected along the border between the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests. “This area is crucial not only for wolverines, but also mountain goats, which even the Forest Service admits have seen drastic population reductions, likely due to motorized recreation,” states John Grove with Friends of the Bitterroot.Signed in January 2009, the new forest plan designates over 2,043,000 acres for snowmobile use, but makes no commitment to ensure snowmobiles do not harm wildlife or cause conflicts.
“The Forest Service took the first step when they allocated these general areas for snowmobiles, but they failed to finish the job by looking to see if these places are truly appropriate for winter motorized use,” explained Rissien. “The agency has a defined set of criteria it must follow to minimize harm to wildlife and conflicts with other recreationists. Unfortunately the Beaverhead-Deerlodge forest planners did not follow these rules, resulting in real harm to wildlife and those who rely on quiet winter landscapes for recreation and business.”
The lawsuit claims forest officials did not take a hard look at the consequences of designating winter motorized recreation, nor did they demonstrate compliance with key laws and Executive Orders. “Those orders, signed by former Presidents Nixon and Carter, require that snowmobiles be managed to protect wildlife and minimize conflicts,” explained attorney Sarah Peters of Wildlands CPR.
The coalition is asking the agency to better protect wolverine, mountain goat and winter elk habitat as well as provide quiet places back country skiers can enjoy the landscape without the noise and exhaust from motorized use.
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Enclosure :
WCPR, MQR, FOB – BDNF RFP Final Complaint
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