In October the magistrate judge in Eugene ruled against all three of our claims against the BLM forest plan. Our attorneys at Earthjustice and Western Environmental Law Center will appeal. The case now goes before a full federal judge. The ruling came just before the midterm elections, and I believe the judge was being overly cautious in the face of political winds. The election’s outcome, however, may set the federal bench more at ease. I’ve read our attorney’s 43 page appeal. Kristen Boyle and Susan Jane Brown clearly lay out how the judge was in error. All three of the claims against the BLM are based on Aquatic Conservation Strategy (ACS) issues. If we ultimately prevail in federal court and the BLM revises its forest plan, the increased forest protections will be due to your past contributions to the CRA’s work in support of the ACS. 2019–here we come!

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