Snowmobile groups go to court over lynx designation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to follow federal rules when it designated thousands of square miles in the West as critical habitat for the Canada lynx, according to a lawsuit filed this week by two snowmobiling groups. The Wyoming State Snowmobile Association and the Washington State Snowmobile Association filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne. The 24-page suit asks the court to withdraw the critical habitat designation, and also to force the federal agency to complete an extensive study of impacts the designation could have on recreation, wildfire management and other areas. "The designation will impair the ability of the (Wyoming State Snowmobile Association) to maintain existing snowmobile trails and will make creation of new trails largely impossible," the lawsuit says. ..Casper Star-Tribune