Washington Hunter
Well-known member
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPOKANE -- A federal judge has barred snowmobile trail grooming for the rest of the season in some of northern Idaho's most popular snowmobiling areas to protect the last remaining caribou in the region.
The order did not prohibit snowmobiling, but ungroomed trails quickly become rough and impassable.
U.S. District Judge Robert H. Whaley of Spokane issued the order late Tuesday, halting grooming of snowmobile trails on U.S. Forest Service land near Priest Lake.
"When we weigh the balance of winter recreation and the most endangered animal, we're going to come down on the side of caribou," Priest River resident Mark Sprengel, who directs the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, told The Spokesman-Review.
Mike Sudnikovich, also of Priest Lake, said the ruling could hurt local businesses.
"All those people that come from Seattle, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene aren't going to go out and snowmobile on these rough trails," Sudnikovich said. "It's unfortunate. It'll probably cost a lot of people their jobs and a lot of people their enjoyment."
The Selkirk Conservation Alliance filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service with Defenders of Wildlife, Conservation Northwest, The Lands Council, Idaho Conservation League and the Center for Biological Diversity.
Sprengel said suing the Forest Service was the last option after nearly two decades of pushing the agency to protect caribou.
"They just stonewalled everything," Sprengel said.
Tuesday's ruling did not settle the lawsuit, only banning for one year trail grooming on 450,000 acres of a federally designated caribou recovery zone. But Sprengel said the preliminary injunction against trail grooming was a good sign.
About 400 miles of trails on state land will remain open, while about 77 miles of trails on Forest Service land will be affected. But snowmobilers say the Forest Service trails are important connectors.
Biologists say increased cougar populations and shrinking old-growth forest habitat are part of the reason behind the decline of northern Idaho caribou, only three of which were spotted last year.
A 2001 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also identified snowmobiling as becoming a significant threat to caribou, "through direct harassment and indirectly by potentially precluding caribou use of historic habitats and travel corridors."
Whaley noted the Wildlife Service report in his ruling and said the Forest Service was in violation of the Endangered Species Act by promoting trail grooming in caribou recovery areas.
Forest Service spokesman Dave O'Brien said the agency plans to revise its long-term forest management plan for the region and will deal with that issue. He said a draft of the plan is scheduled to be released early in 2006.
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SPOKANE -- A federal judge has barred snowmobile trail grooming for the rest of the season in some of northern Idaho's most popular snowmobiling areas to protect the last remaining caribou in the region.
The order did not prohibit snowmobiling, but ungroomed trails quickly become rough and impassable.
U.S. District Judge Robert H. Whaley of Spokane issued the order late Tuesday, halting grooming of snowmobile trails on U.S. Forest Service land near Priest Lake.
"When we weigh the balance of winter recreation and the most endangered animal, we're going to come down on the side of caribou," Priest River resident Mark Sprengel, who directs the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, told The Spokesman-Review.
Mike Sudnikovich, also of Priest Lake, said the ruling could hurt local businesses.
"All those people that come from Seattle, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene aren't going to go out and snowmobile on these rough trails," Sudnikovich said. "It's unfortunate. It'll probably cost a lot of people their jobs and a lot of people their enjoyment."
The Selkirk Conservation Alliance filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service with Defenders of Wildlife, Conservation Northwest, The Lands Council, Idaho Conservation League and the Center for Biological Diversity.
Sprengel said suing the Forest Service was the last option after nearly two decades of pushing the agency to protect caribou.
"They just stonewalled everything," Sprengel said.
Tuesday's ruling did not settle the lawsuit, only banning for one year trail grooming on 450,000 acres of a federally designated caribou recovery zone. But Sprengel said the preliminary injunction against trail grooming was a good sign.
About 400 miles of trails on state land will remain open, while about 77 miles of trails on Forest Service land will be affected. But snowmobilers say the Forest Service trails are important connectors.
Biologists say increased cougar populations and shrinking old-growth forest habitat are part of the reason behind the decline of northern Idaho caribou, only three of which were spotted last year.
A 2001 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also identified snowmobiling as becoming a significant threat to caribou, "through direct harassment and indirectly by potentially precluding caribou use of historic habitats and travel corridors."
Whaley noted the Wildlife Service report in his ruling and said the Forest Service was in violation of the Endangered Species Act by promoting trail grooming in caribou recovery areas.
Forest Service spokesman Dave O'Brien said the agency plans to revise its long-term forest management plan for the region and will deal with that issue. He said a draft of the plan is scheduled to be released early in 2006.
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