ELR Citation: ELR 20170
No(s). 03-4251 (10th Cir. Aug 19, 2005)

The court vacates the U.S. Forest Service's approval of a timber harvesting project in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah. The Service did not properly select and monitor the management indicator species (MIS) populations used to determine the effects of management activities on other species. The Service must use actual, quantitative population data to meet its MIS monitoring obligations. Here, the Service failed to meet its obligations with respect to the sage-nester guild, riparian guild, cavity-nester guild, and the Mexican spotted owl.