Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-00060/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-00060-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 16:1538 Endangered Species Act

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SIERRA FOREST PRODUCTS, INC., 

 Plaintiff, 

v. 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, in his 

official capacity as Secretary 

of the Interior; U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR; H. DALE 

HALL, in his official capacity 

as Director of the Fish & 

Wildlife Service; and U.S. FISH 

& WILDLIFE SERVICE, 

 Defendants, 

 and 

CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL 

DIVERSITY; SIERRA NEVADA FOREST 

PROTECTION CAMPAIGN; SIERRA 

CLUB; and NATURAL RESORUCES 

DEFENSE COUNCIL, 

 Defendant-Intervenors./

No. Civ. S-07-0060 DFL GGH 

Memorandum of Opinion

and Order

On January 10, 2007, plaintiff Sierra Forest Products, Inc. 

filed a complaint challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Case 2:07-cv-00060-JAM-GGH Document 22 Filed 06/15/07 Page 1 of 3
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Service’s decision to place the fisher on the list of species 

under consideration for Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) 

protection. On February 28, Center for Biological Diversity, 

Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign, Sierra Club, and 

Natural Resources Defense Council (collectively, “proposed 

intervenors”) filed a motion for leave to intervene as 

defendants. Sierra Forest Products filed a motion of nonopposition and the government did not file a responsive 

pleading. For the reasons below, the court GRANTS the motion. 

The proposed intervenors are entitled to intervene as of 

right under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24(a). 

An applicant for intervention as of right must 

demonstrate that: (1) the intervention application is 

timely; (2) the applicant has a significant 

protectable interest relating to the property or 

transaction that is the subject of the action; (3) the 

disposition of the action may, as a practical matter, 

impair or impede the applicant’s ability to protect 

its interest; and (4) the existing parties may not 

adequately represent the applicant’s interest. 

Although the party seeking to intervene bears the 

burden of showing those four elements are met, the 

requirements for intervention are broadly interpreted 

in favor of intervention. 

Prete v. Bradbury, 438 F.3d 949, 954 (9th Cir. 2006)(internal 

quotation marks and citations omitted). Here, the proposed 

intervenors sought to intervene within two months of the 

action’s filing and have dedicated significant resources to 

earlier efforts to get the fisher on the ESA consideration list. 

The removal of the fisher from the list, as sought by Sierra 

Case 2:07-cv-00060-JAM-GGH Document 22 Filed 06/15/07 Page 2 of 3
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Forest Products, would threaten the proposed intervenors’ 

interests in protecting the bird. Because the government must 

balance broad and competing interests when deciding whether to 

keep the fisher on the list, the proposed intervenors may 

provide a different defense of the environmental and 

conservationist interests at stake. See Forest Conservation 

Council v. U.S. Forest Service, 66 F.3d 1489, 1499 (9th Cir. 

1995)(finding that Arizona and Apache County could intervene 

because “the Forest Service is required to represent a broader 

view” rather than the intervenors’ “more narrow, parochial 

interests”). Therefore, the court GRANTS the motion to 

intervene. The proposed answer lodged by the intervenors on 

February 28 shall be filed as the intervenors’ answer. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: June 14, 2007 

 /s/ David F. Levi___________

 DAVID F. LEVI 

United States District Judge 

Case 2:07-cv-00060-JAM-GGH Document 22 Filed 06/15/07 Page 3 of 3