Court Slams Forest Service's Authorization of Artificial Elk Feeding

For the second time in three years, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming found the U.S. Forest Service’s authorization of artificial winter feeding of elk in the Bridger-Teton National Forest — which unnaturally concentrates elk and increases the spread of lethal Chronic Wasting Disease — in violation of federal environmental laws. The practice of artificial feeding has been occurring for more than 100 years, but the overwhelming scientific consensus is that this practice is outdated and can cause catastrophic damage to elk populations and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of which the elk are a primary component. In its ruling, the court determined that the the arguments made by the agency in defending its decision were “unpersuasive,” “implausible,” and “unreasonable.” Our firm represented Western Watersheds Project, Sierra Club, Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, and the Gallatin Wildlife Association in this case. In 2018, we represented the same organizations in overturning the Forest Service’s prior authorization of artificial feeding in the same national forest.