©USFS

Washington — Three conservation groups have sued the U.S. Forest Service over the Midnight Restoration Project, which plans logging and thinning on 53,009 acres in the Twisp River drainage. The lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Methow Forest Forum and the Kettle Range Conservation Group alleges that extensive clear-cutting of mature and old-growth forests threatens critical habitat for the northern spotted owl and bull trout, both protected by the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on Monday (Aug. 31). The plaintiffs are seeking to stop implementation of the project to prevent irreversible harm to the spotted owl, bull trout and their habitat. It names Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor Tara Umphries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as defendants.