GROUP WINS ACCESS TO FOREST SERVICE RECORDS ON OFF-ROAD VEHICLE DAMAGE

The AP reports that the conservation group Wildlands CPR has won a 2-year battle to get U.S. Forest Service records on damage caused by off-road vehicles and unmaintained roads in the West. The group contended that Forest Service demands that they pay for the information under the Freedom of Information Act barred them from getting it.

The group was represented by the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene, OR.

The case, which centered on fee waivers for information covering some 84 National Forests, was settled in a consent decree filed Oct. 17, 2007, in the U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT.

• "Conservation Group Wins Battle for Forest Service Records," Associated Press via The Oregonian, Oct. 17, 2007, by Jeff Barnard.
• "Conservation Group Wins Suit," News Media Update, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Oct. 24, 2007.