WHITEFISH – Conservation groups on Tuesday sued the U.S. Forest Service in an effort to halt a logging project in the South Fork of the Flathead River, arguing the timber sale will jeopardize critical wildlife habitat along the scenic river corridor.

Friends of the Wild Swan and the Swan View Coalition filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Missoula with the aim of stopping the Spotted Bear River logging project, which would occur on public land in the Spotted Bear Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest.

The lawsuit raises concerns that land managers erred in their finding that the project will not hurt wildlife habitat – particularly that of lynx, bull trout and grizzly bears – and violated the National Environmental Policy Act by never completing an environmental impact statement. The groups have also filed separate legal notices of intent to challenge two similar thinning projects in the Flathead National Forest.

“This area is so remote and pristine, and these industrial logging projects will have a huge cumulative effect to wildlife,” said Arlene Montgomery, program director for Friends of the Wild Swan. “It will impact the whole area surrounding the Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wilderness areas. This just is not the place for industrial logging.”