Audubon Society sues feds for wiping out osprey, birds at state fish hatchery
Members of the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society are sounding an alarm about several large species of migratory birds, including osprey, which have all but disappeared near a state fish hatchery after it repeatedly obtained permits to kill the birds, which state officials said interfered with non-native fish farming.
The Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for issuing the permits without proper consideration of the impacts the killing would have on the species, and say the department violated its own rules by using the permits repeatedly during a 10-year period when federal law treats the permits as a temporary solution to give agencies more time to formulate a long-term plan.
The society said that osprey and other birds like the double-crested cormorants and great blue heron have disappeared from a swath of land along the Yellowstone River after the federal Fish and Wildlife Service granted the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks permission to kill the birds without filing any other paperwork, like an environmental assessment that would have forced the agency to consider other alternatives.
Become a Subscriber!
You have read all of your free articles this month. Select a plan below to start your subscription today.
Already a subscriber? Login
