Forest Service Reverses Plan for Off-Road Vehicles Access

摘要

Environmental groups seek to drop their lawsuit after the U.S. Forest Service withdrew its decision to open roads within the Colville National Forest to all terrain vehicles, according to afiling in a Washington federal court.The forest supervisor said in 2019 that the agency was changing the designated classes of vehicles allowed on roads within the national forest in Washington state. The action changed 26road segments from open to highway vehicles only to open to all vehicles, including off-road vehicles, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District ofWashington.The Forest Service issued new motor vehicle maps that adopted the class designation changes in April 2020. But the agency failed to consider the impacts on Canada lynx, bull trout, andgrizzly bears, among other animals protected under the Endangered Species Act, the lawsuit says.