A federal judge has denied an injunction filed by the Gallatin Wildlife Association to halt the Helle family from grazing sheep in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, claiming that it was harming the Big Horn sheep and Grizzly Bear populations.
According to the court documents:
Plaintiff has failed to persuade the Court at this point in the proceedings that a preliminary injunction should issue. Specifically, Plaintiff has failed to persuade the Court that it is likely to succeed on the merits and that it is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief. The question of the balance of the equities and whether an injunction would be in the public interest present questions that are to close to resolve at this stage of the proceedings. The Court will address all of Plaintiff’s claims on the merits in due course.
Northern Ag Network's Russell Nemetz was able to speak with John Helle about the court's decision
However, according to the Billings Gazette (http://bit.ly/1M2HAao) Gallatin Wildlife Association has already appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
So while this is considered a win for the Helle family and those who graze on the seven Forest Service allotments, this isn't over yet.
For more information about this case see:
Animal Activist Group Takes Aim at Montana Sheep Family
Livestock Producers Travel Miles to Support Helle’s in Grazing Lawsuit
© Northern Ag Network 2015
image from Helle Rambouillet
