BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two environmental groups are asking a federal judge to throw out the Salmon-Challis National Forest’s plan for managing off-road vehicle use across hundreds of thousands of acres of backcountry.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Friday claims the forest’s new travel management plan fails to adequately protect land, water and wildlife from threats posed by ATV’s and other motorized vehicles.
The Wilderness Society and Idaho Conservation League are seeking an injunction blocking the forest from implementing the new plan.
Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor Lyle Powers declined comment on the lawsuit, citing agency policy on legal cases.
Like other national forests, officials with the Salmon-Challis are in the final stages of redrawing maps designative appropriate routes and areas for off-road vehicles.
