The national refuge advocacy group Blue Goose Alliance followed through this week with a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior in response to the agreement between the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for joint management of the National Bison Range located in Moiese.

A letter stating the intent to sue if the agreement was not rescinded in 60 days was issued by Blue Goose in January. The group’s president, Don Redfearn, said in a January interview that the group believed the agreement was “contrary to federal mandates for the management of national refuges.”

The Annual Funding Agreement was a culmination of intense negotiations by the federal government and Tribal officials to restructure management duties on the range. The agreement giving partial management to the Tribes was signed during a ceremony in July 2008.

This is the second suit filed against the DOI regarding the AFA.

The employee protection organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit in early December 2008, claiming the AFA giving the Tribe shared management rights violates the federal oversight and employment laws. Two area men are named as plaintiffs on that suit. PEER is based out of Washington, D.C.

The Blue Goose website states that its mission is “to promote the establishment of the National Wildlife Refuge System as a separate agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The organization is based primarily on electronic membership and has members from across the country.