PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided against giving federal protections to a weasel-like critter called the West Coast fisher, saying threats to the species weren’t as significant as previously thought.

Environmentalists criticized Thursday’s decision by the federal agency, saying it gave in to pressure from the timber industry. The Center for Biological Diversity says it’s talking to other environmentalists about challenging the decision in court.

Populations of the West Coast fisher have been declining for several decades, nearly disappearing from the California, Oregon and Washington state forests.

The federal agency decided against adding the fisher to the endangered species list in 2011, reconsidered the decision in 2014 before reaching the same conclusion Thursday. Wildlife officials have been reintroducing the species to Washington and California, and have plans to do the same in Oregon.

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