Court rejects off-road plan for Eldorado National Forest

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A federal court has rejected a plan by the U.S. Forest Service to increase off-road vehicle trails in the Eldorado National Forest, saying the agency’s proposal failed to provide adequate protections for the threatened California red-legged frog and sensitive Sierra Nevada meadow habitat.

The ruling on Thursday invalidates the forest plan that set aside 1,212 miles for off-highway vehicle use. The Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups challenging the plan, argued that the Eldorado’s travel management plan allowed 10 miles of routes within meadows and red-legged frog habitat, and placed 290 miles of trails near stream banks, with 485 stream crossings,

The California red-legged frog is the state’s largest native frog. Its population has declined by 90%.

-- Julie Cart