Air Force Training Will Harm Canyonlands, Conservationists Say

Environmental groups are challenging the US Air Force’s decision to expand military aircraft trainings over the Owyhee Canyonlands, expressing concern for the area’s plant and wildlife species.

The decision will “increase noise, habitat fragmentation, fire risk, and other impacts of F-15 fighter jet overflights,” the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, and the Idaho Conservation League told the US District Court for the District of Oregon on Monday.

The canyonlands are located where Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada meet and contain critical habitats for the greater sage-grouse and bighorn sheep, among others.

The Air Force plans to drop ...