By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff
Five conservation groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol over the agencies’ decision to move forward with a road restoration project located about two miles south of the Canadian border in North Idaho.
The Bog Creek Road project, located in the Bonners Ferry and Priest Lake ranger districts, includes road repairs necessary to provide Border Patrol agents east-west access to the U.S.-Canada border across the Selkirk Mountains. The 5.6-mile stretch of road would not be open to the public — only to federal agencies.
The USFS and Border Patrol announced approval of the project Jan. 31, garnering immediate pushback from regional conservation organizations who were vocal during the project’s comment period, concerned over how the project could affect endangered species in the area — particularly grizzly bears.
The five plaintiffs named in the lawsuit — filed Tuesday, March 10 — include the Center for Biological Diversity, Idaho Conservation League, Lands Council, Selkirk Conservation Alliance and WildEarth Guardians.
“The Idaho Panhandle National Forests, including the project area, contain crucial habitat for a variety of imperiled wildlife, including grizzly bears, mountain caribou, Canada lynx, wolverines, and bull trout,” the complaint reads.
The plaintiffs contend that the USFS and Border Patrol violated “numerous environmental laws” in moving forward with the project, including the National Forest Management Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
Read the full complaint at biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases.
While we have you ...
... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.
Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal
Coming up this week! Don’t miss out on Live performances of music & theater, fundraising, and more! See the full list of events in the 
