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Sierra off-roaders sue US over grouse in Nevada, California

Off-road vehicle enthusiasts are suing the U.S. Forest Service over the bistate sage grouse in Nevada and California.
Posted at 11:26 AM, Dec 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-24 14:26:10-05

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Off-road vehicle enthusiasts are suing the U.S. Forest Service over the bistate sage grouse in Nevada and California.

They're arguing that a protection plan enacted this year could increase fire danger across rangeland habitat of a bird already proposed for threatened status.

The California Four Wheel Drive Association and off-road groups in the Sierra and Nevada's Pine Nut Mountains say the protection measures in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest weren't included among the alternatives subjected to scientific scrutiny and public comment as required by federal environmental laws.

They lawsuit was filed Dec. 18 in U.S. District Court in Reno.

The bistate grouse is distinct from the greater sage grouse — a species at the center of its own controversy in a dozen western states from California to Colorado.