Grizzly Bears Could Be Impacted By 135,000-Acre Montana Logging Project Now Under Renewed Federal Review
A massive logging project in Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest is facing renewed federal scrutiny over its potential impact on grizzly bears.
The Bitterroot Front Project spans approximately 135,000 acres and includes commercial logging, road construction, prescribed burning, herbicide use, and other activities.
The Center for Biological Diversity and five allied conservation groups filed a notice of intent to sue in June, raising concerns that federal officials had not adequately assessed how the project could affect grizzly bears and their habitat.
The U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have since confirmed that Endangered Species Act consultation for grizzly bears is being reinitiated after new information became available about the project’s potential impacts.
“I’m glad the Forest Service hit the brakes on this enormous logging project because it’s clear the agency didn’t adequately consider how dangerous it would be for Montana’s grizzlies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is exactly why the Endangered Species Act requires agencies to take a hard look at new information before moving forward with projects that threaten imperiled wildlife. Our legal challenge forced the agency to go back and address its failure.”
Grizzly bears have been documented moving into the Bitterroot ecosystem in recent years, increasing concerns about protecting habitat that could support the threatened species’ natural recovery in the region.
“The Bitterroot Front logging project would bulldoze 27 miles of new logging roads. Most grizzlies are killed within one-third of a mile of a road,” said Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. “This is great news for grizzly bears since they wouldn’t survive if the Forest Service was allowed to bulldoze even more roads into the project area.”
Federal agencies must now complete a new Endangered Species Act consultation before the project can move forward.
The organizations plan to continue following the consultation process as federal officials reassess the project’s potential impacts on grizzly bears and the surrounding ecosystem.
