San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council v. Dallas

The federal district court for the District of Colorado denied a petition challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of a revised management plan for the Rio Grande National Forest in southwestern Colorado. The court rejected the petitioners’ arguments that the Forest Service violated the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA), the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act, including an argument that the Forest Service failed to comply with the NFMA because components of the plan did not adequately mitigate threats to the endangered Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly from illegal collection, recreation, livestock grazing, and climate change.

A lawsuit filed in the federal district court for the District of Colorado challenged the U.S. Forest Service’s authorization of the Rio Grande National Forest Land Management Plan (Revised Forest Plan) and associated actions. The plaintiffs—four conservation groups—asserted claims under the National Forest Management Act, NEPA, and the Administrative Procedure Act. The plaintiffs alleged, among other things, that the Forest Service failed to disclose the Revised Forest Plans effects on the endangered Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly and the threatened Canada lynx, both of which face threats from climate change.