ASHEVILLE – A coalition of five conservation groups is suing the U.S. Forest Service, alleging that the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest’s 2023 management plan failed to protect areas of biodiversity, including habitat for federally protected bat species, Because the plan expanded logging practices to more than 1 million acres of national forests.
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue and SierraClub. April 19, District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Asheville.
The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests cover more than one million acres of mountainous terrain in western North Carolina. The two national forests are the largest of the state’s four, and parts of the forest are used for logging, hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, horseback riding and other activities.
In 2023, the U.S. Forest Service released new management plans for these two forests. The decade-long revision process of the Nantahala-Pisgah Management Plan, which will guide how much can be harvested, how much land is protected and many other forest uses over the next 10-15 years, has been dogged by the long-term impact of expanded logging practices. Feel worried.
The lawsuit alleges that the Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act by using “inaccurate and incomplete” information when approving the management plan.
“The Forest Service ignored the best available science and withheld critical information from the Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees endangered species conservation,” Josh Kelly, a public lands field biologist at MountainTrue, wrote in a press release. .
ESA said federal departments and agencies should work to protect endangered and threatened species. The ESA also stated that federal agencies cannot take any action that could endanger the existence of endangered or threatened species.
The lawsuit specifically alleges that the U.S. Forest Service downplayed the extent to which habitat for northern long-eared bats, Indiana bats, Virginia big-eared bats and gray bats would be affected by the new management plan, and that they hid this from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Information.
The organizations previously sent a letter in July 2023 threatening lawsuits on the same grounds.
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The Forest Service had an excellent opportunity to restore the forest and protect endangered forest bats, but the agency now refuses, Sam Evans, SELC National Forest and Parks Program Director, wrote in a news release Yes, we are suing.
The groups joined the U.S. Forest Service in suing James Melonas, forest supervisor for the National Forest Service in North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Martha Williams, the agency’s director. Melonas and Williams were charged in their official capacity, meaning it was not personal.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Jennifer Koches told Citizen Times on April 19, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not comment on proposed or pending litigation.”
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Adam Rondeau told Citizen Times that “it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the specific circumstances of the case at this time,” but issued the following statement regarding the development of the 2023 management plan:
“The Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan was developed using the best available science surrounding ecosystem restoration to ensure the long-term health and resilience of the forest. The process also included extensive engagement with diverse stakeholder groups Engagement, including based on feedback gathered, strengthened program direction around sustainable recreation, wildlife habitat and national trail management.
In January, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of the Chattooga Conservancy, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue and the Sierra Club, claiming the plan to clear parts of the forest violated state law.
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Will Hofmann is the growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times, a USA TODAY Network affiliate. Any tips? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.Please help support journalism like this by subscribing to Citizen Times.
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