Montana Public Radio | ByAaron BoltonPublishedNovember 30, 2021 at 5:45 PM MST

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• https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2021-11-30/advocacy-group-sues-over-rule-expanding-hunting-and-fishing-on-national-wildlife-refuges

LISTEN•1:06

A lawsuitfiled in the U.S. District Court in Missoula seeks to overturn aTrump-era ruleexpanding hunting and fishing within the National Wildlife Refuge system. The lawsuit argues the expansion will harm endangered species like grizzly bears.

The lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t properly assess the impact of a rule opening 2.3 million acres in the National Wildlife Refuge system to hunting and fishing. The rule includes the Swan River National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Montana.

The advocacy groupin a press releasesays that the rule will increase the amount of lead in the ecosystem from ammunition and fishing tackle, harming endangered waterfowl and will pose a risk to threatened grizzly bears due to hunters mistaking them…