Judge Haddon upholds Badger-Two Medicine travel plan closures
In the first of many rounds to come, a federal judge in Great Falls heard arguments on January 13, 2010 and has denied a motion for a preliminary injunction enjoining the Forest service from closing multiple use recreation in the Badger-Two Medicine (B2M) region.
The U.S. Forest Service implemented the closures in October as part of a new travel plan, closing nearly 96% of the roads and trails. Only 6 miles of road and trail were left open to motorized summer use and closed the area to all snowmobiling.
B2M Forest users and other local grassroots groups received legal assistance from CFBU. CBU sued over the plan, contending the decision did not follow procedures outlined in NEPA. They asked U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon to lift the motorized travel ban until the lawsuit is settled.
CBU and its members plan on moving ahead to restore the historic responsible multiple use enjoyed by the majority of the public in the B2M.
Other groups in the motion include, Capital Trail Vehicle Riders Ass’n (“CTVA”), the Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Ass’n (“MTVRA”) and Montanans For Multiple Use (“MFMU”)