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Woodland Caribou

Date Filed: 03/01/2007
Case Status: Completed

Defenders of Wildlife v. Martin (Eastern District of Washington)

Species Background:

Listed as endangered since 1984, the United State’s woodland caribou population, found exclusively in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington, currently consists of as few as three individual adults, which are part of a small herd of approximately 35 that spans the U.S. and Canada border in the southern Selkirk Mountains. The principal threats to the continued existence of the caribou are habitat fragmentation from historic clearcut logging, as well as some current logging and associated loss of its primary winter food supply of arboreal lichens that grow within old-growth forests, alteration of predator-prey relationships, and disturbance or mortality from snowmobiling and other human activities.

Snowmobile use in the Selkirk Mountains, particularly the Caribou Recovery Area as defined in its Recovery Plan, has increased rapidly over the past several years, and more powerful snowmobiles have allowed their riders to press further into caribou habitat, directly harming and displacing the species from key areas. Despite this harm, the Forest Service regularly authorizes, funds, and carries out activities on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest (IPNF) and the Colville National Forest Plans (CNF), such as trail grooming, which provides the opportunity for snowmobiles to access most of the caribou’s remaining suitable habitat.

Case Background:

In August 2005, Defenders and Idaho conservation groups filed suit under the Endangered Species Act against the Forest Service for failing to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the effect of its actions promoting snowmobiling on caribou and their habitat, and failing to craft a required winter recreation plan to minimize impacts on caribou, After a trial in February 2007, a federal judge agreed with Defenders that the Forest Service's authorization of snowmobiling in woodland caribou habitat violated its duty under the Endangered Species Act to avoid jeopardizing the species’ continued existence, as well as the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on taking (i.e., harming or harassing) endangered species. The Judge’s order closed two large blocks of caribou habitat and a corridor connecting these two areas until the Forest Service completes a long term winter recreation strategy for northern Idaho, expected in spring 2009.