Group Seeks To Stop Idaho Wolf/Coyote Derby

(AP) — An environmental group wants a federal judge to halt a planned wolf and coyote derby in Idaho, branding the event an illegal killing contest.  Filed yesterday by Wild Earth Guardians and other groups, the complaint in U.S. District Court contends the U.S. Forest Service ignored federal laws when it allowed the derby to proceed on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 without first securing a special-use permit.  A group behind the event aims to lure up to 300 hunters to Salmon, Idaho, to boost the economy — and raise awareness for health concerns it says are related to wolves.  The environmentalists say the Forest Service failed to follow its own procedures and violated the National Environmental Policy Act by "failing entirely to consider the environmental impacts of allowing the killing contest."