Rhonda Cavanaugh Jibson plans to file a lawsuit next spring in US District Court in Grand Rapids. She hopes the court will rule in her favor to preserve certain areas in Otto, Greenwood and Grant townships in Oceana County and portions of Blue Lake Township in Muskegon County.

The areas are being cleared by the US Forest Service to create savannah-like habitats for the Karner Blue Butterfly.

“The big thing they’re (forest service) hiding is they’re going to put everyone out of the forest,” Cavanaugh Jibson told members of the Oceana Chapter of the Michigan Township Association Oct. 27. “They want to shut it all down. They’ve already blocked all the roads.”

Cavanaugh Jibson emphasized she’s acting as an individual property owner and not as an official for Otto Township, where she is supervisor.

“This is something I am doing personally — not on behalf of Otto Township,” she said.

Cavanaugh Jibson said the forest service last week rejected her request that it cease and desist activity until the issue can be heard in court. She said the forest service is causing irreparable harm by converting the forest into the butterfly habitat and limiting historical access to the forest and White River. She said her family’s history in the area dates back to the 1930s.

Cavanaugh Jibson also believes that limiting hunting, snowmobiling and other activities will have an economic impact on businesses such as Van Patten’s General Store. She also claims the forest service hasn’t mapped out maintenance or how the area will be policed. She also said in Wisconsin the plant lupine, the primary plant used by the endangered butterfly to survive, was planted along roadsides in a cooperative program with landowners and the plant is taking off. It is being planted in the savannahs being created by the forest service in Greenwood and Otto townships.

The lawsuit is being put off while Cavanaugh Jibson establishes a defense fund to help pay legal costs. The Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association (GLFWDA) is acting as a collection point for those interested in making electronic donations toward Cavanaugh Jibson’s defense fund.

Cavanaugh Jibson said there are four other property owners with legal standing, and if she can come up with enough of a defense fund, she hopes they will put their names on the lawsuit.

Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Ken Arbogast said the forest service’s attorneys believe Cavanaugh Jibson’s concerns were addressed in its initial plan and again in a response issued by a forest service reviewing officer in Cavanaugh Jibson’s appeal.

Those wishing to support Cavanaugh Jibson’s litigation can visit Donations@GLFWDA.org, select the amount and payment method and be sure to write “Savanna Litigation” in the notes.

“GLFWDA is the only organization in Michigan working to protect the public’s access to rustic, ‘two-track’ roads for their recreational, aesthetic, and historic value,” said Pat Brower, chairman of GLFWDA Land Use Committee.