US judge blocks water pipeline in Montana that was meant to boost rare fish
A U.S. judge blocked a proposed water pipeline through a wilderness area in southwest Montana that was intended to help a rare fish species that’s seen sharp declines due to habitat loss, warming temperatures and other pressures BILLINGS, Mont. -- A U.S. judge blocked a proposed water pipeline through a wilderness area in southwest Montana that was intended to help a rare fish species that's in sharp decline due to habitat loss, warming temperatures and other pressures. The mile-long pipeline was intended to move oxygenated water that's beneficial for fish from a creek to a lake in the Red Rock Lakes Wilderness — winter home for one of the last few populations of Arctic grayling in the Lower 48 states. The fish are prized by many anglers and known for their sail-like dorsal fins. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said in a Wednesday ruling that environmentalists who sued to stop the pipeline raised valid concerns that its construction would disturb the wilderness area, where...