SAN FRANCISCO—On August 14, 2008 seven environmental groups, including the center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service for failure to protect the wildlife and road-less areas of four Southern California national forests including the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino.

The seven environmental groups are accusing the U.S. Forest Service of failing to protect California forests from road building, grazing and oil and gas exploitation.

According to a press release statement from the Center for Biological Diversity, David Hogan, conservation manager at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “The national forests of Southern California support a globally significant concentration of wildlife and plants and are a popular destination for millions of people seeking relief from the concrete jungle.” Hogan added, “Yet the Forest Service ignores these values and treats most of this land as if it were worthy only of development for urban infrastructure or other exploitation.”

Included in the four national forests of Southern California is over 3.5 million acres of public land from Big Sur to the Mexican border.

Thursday’s lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Los Padres ForestWatch, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, California Native Plant Society, California Wilderness Coalition, and The Wilderness Society. Earthjustice attorneys Erin Tobin and Trent Orr are representing the seven groups.