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PNS - Thursday, January 16, 2025 - Opponents of a proposed Alaskan mine warn proponents they can't eat gold when the fish are gone. Ahead of what could be mass deportations, immigrants get training about their rights. And a national coalition grants money to keep local news afloat.
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Big Sky Connection - Conservation groups in Montana are suing the U.S. Forest Service, saying that the Round Star logging project west of Whitefish did not adequately review the effects to Canada lynx and other federally protected species. The groups won a similar 2023 suit for a Kootenai National Forest project. Comments by Steve Kelly, president, Council of Wildlife and Fish.
Click on the image above for the audio. Canada lynx in the contiguous United States were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2020, so their habitat must be considered by agencies pursuing logging projects. (Stan/Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
January 16, 2025 - The U.S. Forest Service is facing a lawsuit from Montana conservation groups for authorizing a major logging project in a critical wildlife habitat. The Round Star logging project, located 13 miles west of Whitefish, would cover over 9,000 acres of forest land in an area inhabited by Canada lynx and grizzly bears. Both are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, which means they should take priority in logging plans.
Steve Kelly, president of the Council of Wildlife and Fish, is one of the plaintiffs.
"It's already been logged heavily, so we're really talking about some of the last places that lynx can even survive locally, never mind connectivity from one place to another," he said.
According to Alliance for the Wild Rockies, the Round Star project doesn't properly take into account the cumulative effects of nearby projects, which total about 42,000 acres of logging and burning and 100 miles of new roads.
A federal court judge in 2023 ruled against the Forest Service on a project in the Kootenai National Forest that similarly threatened grizzly bear habitats. Kelly wonders why the agency continues to attempt passing projects without adequate analysis of their effects.
"The court now is quite adept at figuring out who's doing what and why and applying the law. So there's really not much wiggle room anymore for the agencies to slide one by," he continued.
Canada lynx require habitat with dense forests and deep snow that also support populations of snowshoe hare, which make up about 75% of the lynx diet.
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PNS - Thursday, January 16, 2025 Confirmation hearings continue for Trump's nominees, Biden says American hostages will be released as part of an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal, and North Carolina Republicans try new arguments to overturn a state Supreme Court election.
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PNS - Thursday, January 16, 2025 - Mediators herald Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal; Israel says final details are in flux. As deportation threat looms, WA groups underscore the importance of immigrants. And how IL's grid plans will focus on underserved communities.
