Groups Plan Lawsuit Over Fed’s 5-State Bull Trout Plan
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two conservation groups say a federal plan to bolster bull trout falls short and they've filed a 60-day notice of their intention to sue.
Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Friends of the Wild Swan in a notice sent Wednesday to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's plan to recover threatened bull trout in five western states violates the Endangered Species Act.
The agency last month released its Bull Trout Recovery Plan outlining actions to boost populations in six recovery units spread over Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and a tiny portion of Nevada.
The conservation groups contend the plan allows 25 percent of bull trout populations in some areas to be extirpated. The groups also say the plan doesn't set quantitative goals for a delisting.