Here’s the deal. The Arizona U.S. District Court previously ruled against environmentalists challenging a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) decision to allow limited off-road big game retrieval by elk and bison hunters on the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona. The State of Arizona intervened in the case on behalf of hunters, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed an amicus brief, supporting the USFS and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD).
That ruling did not stop environmentalists who since appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. RMEF recently filed a motion to submit an amicus brief in support of hunters and AGFD. Enviro groups countered by opposing any further RMEF participation on the grounds that they “do not see the need for additional perspectives in this case.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. RMEF has a keen interest in the region on behalf of elk and elk habitat by investing more than $1.1 million in habitat and wildlife water development work on the Kaibab since 1988. Additionally, RMEF volunteers offered thousands of hours of volunteer time in habitat stewardship work there.
(Photo source: Kaibab National Forest)