Judge Stops Logging for Endangered Bats | St. Louis News

A federal judge has blocked a controversial logging project in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, ruling the U.S. Forest Service violated environmental laws by approving it without final input from the Fish and Wildlife Service — which had flagged endangered Indiana bats living in the area. Despite internal agency reports warning of bat harm, the approval memo ignored them. The Forest Service tried to dodge blame by claiming no funds were spent until after the Fish and Wildlife Service’s conditional approval — but the judge called that a legal loophole. With Indiana bat populations halved since the 1960s and white-nose syndrome decimating them, logging during their active season was especially reckless. Compounding the crisis, new federal rules are weakening protections under the Endangered Species Act and could soon allow more road-building and drilling on public lands — sparking fears of accelerating habitat loss. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/72534049bfac634f