Three environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to halt a wolf- and coyote-hunting derby set for early January in east-central Idaho.
WildEarth Guardians, Cascadia Wildlands and the Boulder-White Clouds Council filed the lawsuit late Thursday in federal court in Idaho against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
The groups contend the BLM violated environmental laws on Thursday by issuing Idaho for Wildlife a special use permit to hold the competitive derby on BLM land.
The groups also contend that the Forest Service is violating the law by not requiring Idaho for Wildlife to obtain a special use permit.
Four other environmental groups filed a separate lawsuit on Thursday against the BLM contending the permit runs contrary to the federal government's wolf reintroduction efforts.