Forest officials hoping Hyalite, Sourdough project can advance soon
Forest crews are spending more time examining trees in the Hyalite and Sourdough drainages this year with hopes they’ll finally advance a timber project that’s been tied up in court for years.
Bozeman District Ranger Corey Lewellen said this week that the U.S. Forest Service is ramping up prep work for the nearly 4,700-acre Bozeman Municipal Watershed project, a mix of logging and burning meant to decrease the severity of any wildfire that hits the two drainages that make up the town’s water supply.
The project, approved in 2011, is still blocked by an injunction a federal judge ordered over potential harm to Canada lynx. The order directed the Forest Service to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service following the 2009 designation of critical habitat for the large cats.
Lewellen said the Forest Service received a biological opinion from the Fish and Wildlife Service last December and is now waiting for Department of Justice attorneys to file it with the court of U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen and request the injunction be lifted. With that in mind, he has more people out making sure they know what the land included in the project looks like, and what changes have come in the intervening eight years — like any increases in disease or insect infestations.
Read more: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/forest-officials-hoping-hyalite-sourdough-project-can-advance-soon/article_93d1d1f2-bbea-569e-ba1d-7180ab89a37d.html