The Durango Herald reports that a coalition of conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday after the U.S. Forest Service gave the land swap the go-ahead in May. The suit argues that the federal environmental impact analysis was narrow in scope.
Forest officials, however, say the swap is their only recourse given legal parameters.
The swap would give developer Leavell-McCombs about 200 acres of Rio Grande National Forest land for a road connecting a highway to the proposed development. The federal government would get 178 acres of privately held land.
Environmental groups have opposed the land swap due to concerns about wildlife.
