BOZEMAN, Mont. – A federal judge dismissed an environmental law firm’s attempt to block three timber projects around Bozeman and Hebgen Lake Thursday, but the firm isn’t giving up on the case.
In an order Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris dismissed Cottonwood Environmental Law Center’s lawsuit over the projects altogether, writing the firm’s claims against the Forest Service fell short on several fronts.
Cottonwood’s lawsuit focused on three timber projects —the Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project in the Gallatins, the North Bridgers Forest Health Project in the Bridgers and the North Hebgen Multiple Resource Project north of Hebgen Lake. The Forest Service approved the projects in 2011, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
