The California Department of Fish and Game intends to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its policy banning trees on levees.

The department on Tuesday sent the Army Corps a 60-day notice of intent to sue, a required precursor to a lawsuit under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Fish and Game alleges the Army Corps violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act when it imposed the policy. The Central Valley now has only 5 percent of its historic riparian habitat, and it's mostly trees and shrubs on levees. Those plants are habitat vital to numerous rare species, from salmon to raptors.

Read the full story at sacbee.com.