Feds cancel permit for Idaho wolf-killing derby
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn a permit allowing a pro-hunting group to hold a wolf- and coyote-shooting derby on public land in Idaho.
Late Tuesday, the agency canceled the permit issued Nov. 13 to Idaho for Wildlife that provided use of about 3 million acres of federal land for the three-day event in early January.
The agency says the group modified the derby's rules, making it unclear if the permit still applied.
Derby organizers say the agency caved in to environmental groups but that the event will still be held on U.S. Forest Service land and private ranches in the east-central part of the state near Salmon.
The BLM faced two federal lawsuits from conservation groups contending the agency violated environmental laws in issuing the permit.
© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
