@US Forest Service

Four conservation groups — Native Ecosystems Council, Council on Wildlife and Fish, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection — have filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing the United States Forest Service and Flathead National Forest of ignoring its own scientists to push ahead on a logging project that would likely imperil grizzly bears, and cut old-growth forests. The lawsuit also claims federal forest officials have intentionally created two adjacent logging projects that would have likely violated federal laws if combined, and instead split them up into two smaller projects to avoid scrutiny. The Forest Service said it does not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit claims that the Cyclone Bill Logging Project, 13 miles west of Whitefish, will cut and burn on more than 12,000 acres, which includes Canada lynx and grizzly bear habitat, both protected by the Endangered Species Act.