HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A group of northwestern Indiana residents is trying again to stop the National Park Service from cutting down 3,400 trees in a bog at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Members of the Coalition to Protect Cowles Bog Area filed a motion Monday in federal court in Hammond seeking to prevent the trees from being cut down until the coalition's lawsuit is resolved.
The Times of Munster reports (http://bit.ly/VxOyqI ) the coalition claims the National Park Service and other defendants are accelerating their original tree-removal schedule due to opposition to the plan. Park officials say reducing the tree count and underbrush would make room for growth of desired native vegetation.
A federal judge on Dec. 11 denied the plaintiffs' first request for a temporary restraining order because of "procedural flaws."
