Win for Grizzlies

PEAC won critical protections for grizzly bears in Montana’s Flathead National Forest. In his decision, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy halted spring snowmobile use on over 52,000 acres to prevent harm to grizzly bears emerging from their winter dens.

In a case filed by on behalf of the Swan View Coalition and Friends of the Wild Swan, the Montana federal court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act when it approved a Forest Service proposal to allow snowmobile use to continue into the springtime. The Flathead National Forest, which is adjacent to Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, is one of the most crucial areas of grizzly bear habitat remaining in the Lower 48 States. Snowmobile use during April and May can harm bears by displacing them from key habitat as they search for food and raise cubs after emerging from their winter dens.

PEAC’s suit also forced the Fish and Wildlife Service to admit that it had not adequately considered the impacts of high road density within the Flathead Forest on threatened bull trout.

Unfortunately, Judge Molloy in the same opinion rejected PEAC’s arguments that high road densities within the Flathead unlawfully harm grizzly bears, excusing the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service from complying with a plan adopted by the agencies over a decade ago to reduce the number of roads to a level that does not result in harm to grizzlies. Despite this setback, PEAC will continue its work to ensure that federal agencies honor the commitment they made to restore the bears’ habitat.

Read the press release, opinion, and Daily Inter Lake article. You can also check out our Wildlife Wins page.

Related Content

• 2008 Grizzly Article (PDF)
• 2008 Grizzly Opinion (PDF)
• 2008 Grizzly Press Release (PDF)