T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T T ON GA S S C ON S E R VA T I ON S OC I E T Y, e t a l., P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. UN I TE D STATE S F ORES T S ER VI CE , U S D e p a r tm e n t o f

A g r ic u ltu r e , e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees, V IK IN G L U M B E R C O M P A N Y , IN C . , et a l., In t erv en o r-D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 10- 35232 D . C . N o . 3 : 1 0 - c v - 0 0 0 0 6 - T MB ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt

f orthe D i s tr i c tof

A l a s ka T i m othy M . B ur ge s s , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d J une 7, 2010 S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: C A N B Y , C A L L A H A N an d IK U T A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 

# FI LED JU N 28 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T onga s s C ons e r va t i on S oc i e ty , G r e e npe a c e , a nd C a s c a di a W i l dl a nds ( c ol l e c t i ve l y , “ T C S ” ) c l a i m tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tabus e d i t s di s c r e t i on i n hol di ng thatT C S had a l ow l i kel i ho od of succ es s on the m er i t s of i t s N at i on al E n v i r o n m e n t a l P o l i c y Ac t( NE P A) a n d Na t i o n a l F o r e s tMa n a g e m e n tAc t( NF MA) c l a i m s , a nd the r e f

or e e rr e d i n de ny i ng T C S ’ s m ot i on f ora pr e l i m i na ry i nj unc t i on t o st op the L og

j am T i m ber S al e P roj ec t(“ L og j am ”) . U nd erou r def

er ent i al s ta n d a r d o f

r e v ie w , w e a f

f ir m th e d is tr ic t c o u r t. See Si er ra Fores t L egacy v. R ey , 57 7 F . 3d 10 15 , 10 21 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). N E P A C l ai m s. T he di stri ctcourtdi d n otabuse i t s di sc re t i on i n h ol di ng that T C S ha d a ve ry l ow l i ke l i hood of s uc c e e di ng on the m e r i t s of i t s c l a i m tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e vi ol a t e d N E P A by f a i l i ng t o t a ke a “ ha r d l ook” a tthe i m pa c t s of the L o g ja m p r o je c t o n th e a q u a tic e n v ir o n m e n t, A l e xa nde rA r c hi pe l a go w ol ve s , a nd th e S itk a b la c k - ta ile d d e e r . See, e . g. , N a tiv e E c o s

ys te m s C o u n c il v . T

idw e ll , 599 F . 3d 92 6, 93 7 (9t h C i r. 20 10 ). F i rs t , the re cord i nd i ca t es thatthe F ores tS ervi ce c ons i de r e d the i m pa c t s on the a qua t i c e nvi r onm e ntf r om ope n, s t or e d, a nd decom m i ss i on ed roads over the l engt h o f the proj ec t , and reas on abl y c on cl ud ed th atth e i m p act s w o u l d b e m i n o r. T h e reco rd l i k ew i se i n d i cat es th atth e F o restT C S ’ s r e l a t e d c l a i m tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e di d nota de qua t e l y a na l y z e the 1 i m pact s f rom the L og

j am proj ec ti n con

j un ct i on w i th the i m pact s f rom other r e a s onabl y f

or e s e e abl e a c t i vi t i e s w a s notr a i s e d i n the ope ni ng br i e f be l ow a nd not de ve l ope d i n the r e pl y br i e f be l ow . T he r e f

or e , tha tc l a i m w a s notpr e s e r ve d f or ap p e a l. Se e E b e r le v . C ity o f A n a h e im , 9 0 1 F .2 d 8 1 4 , 8 1 8 ( 9 th C ir .1 9 9 0 ) .

3 S ervi ce consi dere d these i m pact s i n the cont extof the exi st i ng , degraded co n d i t i o n s o f th e affected w at ersh ed s. 1 S e c ond, the r e c or d e s t abl i s he s tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e t ook a ha r d l ook a tthe pot e nt i a l i m pa c t s of

L ogj a m on w ol ve s a nd di s c us s e d thi s i s s ue e xt e ns i ve l y i n the D E I S a nd F E I S . A l though the D E I S e rr one ous l y s t a t e d tha tthe A l a s ka D e p a r tm e n t o f

F is h a n d G a m e ( A D F & G ) d id n o t h a v e c o n c e rn s ab o u t w o lf m ort al i ty, the D E IS cont ai ned eno ug h i nform at i on t o el i ci text ensi ve, det ai l ed pu bl i c c om m ent s on the w ol f m ort al i ty a nal ys i s. M oreover, the F ores tS ervi ce c orr e c t e d i t s e rr ori n the F E I S . B e c a us e “ the N E P A goa l s of publ i c pa r t i c i pa t i on a n d in f o r m e d d e c is io n - m a k in g o c c u rr e d ,” W e s t lands W

at e rD is t . v . U

. S. D e p’ t of the I nt e r i or , 3 7 6 F .3 d 8 5 3 , 8 7 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) , T C S w a s u n lik e ly to s u c c e e d o n its c l a i m tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e ’ s c ons i de r a t i on of the i m pa c t s on w ol ve s f e l l s hor tof N E P A ’s r e q u ir e m e n ts . T hi r d, the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s c onc l us i on tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e t ook a ha r d l ook atL og j am ’ s i m pact s t o d ee r i s s up po rt ed by the re cord. T he F ores tS ervi ce a de qua t e l y a c c ount e d f

ori m pa c t s t o de e rhabi t a ton non- f e de r a l l a nds w i thi n the4

p r o je c t a r e a b y a n a ly z in g a w o r s t- c a s e s c e n a r io . T h e F o r e s t S e r v ic e ’s d e c is io n to fo cu s o n i m p act s t o d eer w i n t er h ab i t at , rath er th an su m m er h ab i t at , w as a sc i ent i fi c det erm i nat i on w i thi n the F ores tS ervi ce ’ s a re a of e xp ert i se thati s e nt i t l ed to d e f e r e n c e . Se e C tr . fo rB io lo g ic a l D iv e rs ity v . Ke m pthor ne , 588 F . 3d 701, 707 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). F urther, the F ores tS ervi ce adequat el y e xp l ai ned h ow i tanal yz ed i m pa c t s on de e r ; the r e c or d di s c l os e s tha tthe F or e s tS e r vi c e c ons i de r e d both “ hi ghval ue deer w i nt erra ng e” and acre s of a vera ge-s no w w i nt erand d ee p-snow w i nt er r a n g e . Se e A d le rv . L e w is , 67 5 F . 2d 10 85 , 10 96 (9th C i r. 19 82 ). N F M A C l ai m s. T he di stri ctcourtdi d n otabuse i t s di sc re t i on i n h ol di ng that T C S had a l ow l i kel i ho od of succ es s on i t s c l ai m s thatthe F ores tS ervi ce vi ol at ed N F M A by f

a i l i ng t o c om pl y w i th the r e qui r e m e nt s of the T onga s s L a nd a nd R es ou rc e M anagem entP l an (the “ F ores tP l an”) re gardi ng re d cul vert s, w ol f habi t at m an ag em en t p lan s, an d m o d elin g d ee r h ab it at. F irst, th e F o re st S er v ice’s de t e r m i na t i on t o f

i x onl y e l e ve n of

the e xi s t i ng tw e nty - f

i ve r e d c ul ve r t s di d not confl i ctw i th the F ores tP l an. T he F ores tS ervi ce ’ s i nt erpret at i on of i t s ow n p l an as no tre qu i ri ng i tt o cure pre- exi st i ng prob l em s a s acond i t i on of i m pl em ent i ng a new p r o je c t w a s a r e a s o n ab le in te rp r e ta tio n to w h ic h w e d e f e r . Se e A ue rv . R obbi ns , 5 1 9 U .S . 4 5 2 , 4 6 1 ( 1 9 9 7 ) ; Siski you R eg’l

E du c. P roj ec t

v. U . S. Fores t

Serv . , 565 F . 3d 545, 555 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . S e c ond, e ve n i f the F or e s tS e r vi c e ’ s i nt e rpr e t a t i on5

of the F or e s tP l a n a s r e qui r i ng the i m pl e m e nt a t i on of a W ol f H abi t a tM a na ge m e nt P la n ( W H M P ) o n ly w h e n th e F o r e s t S e r v ic e its e lf is c o n c e rn e d ab o u t w o lf m or t a l i ty i s unr e a s onabl e , w e de f e rt o F or e s tS e r vi c e ’ s r e a s onabl e de t e r m i na t i on th a t it d id n o t h a v e to p r e p a r e a W H M P in a d v a n c e o f im p le m e n tin g L o g

ja m . See i d. F orthi s r e a s on, the F or e s tS e r vi c e ’ s de c i s i on nott o de ve l op a W H M P di d not vi ol at e the pl an. T hi rd, the F ores tS ervi ce ’ s det erm i nat i on thatthe F ores tP l an al l ow ed i tt o u se “ al t ernat e a nal ys i s t oo l s, ” i ncl ud i ng consi dera t i on of “ [l ] ocal kn ow l edge of habi t atcond i t i on s, ” f or det erm i ni ng the i m pact s on d ee r w as r e a s o n ab le . Se e i d. M or e ove r , the F or e s tS e r vi c e di d c ons i de rthe outputof the m o s t r e c e n t d e e rh ab ita t c ap ab ility m o d e l a s r e p o r te d in th e 2 0 0 8 F o r e s t P la n . F i nal l y, the F ores tS ervi ce ’ s app roval of a proj ec tthatw ou l d res ul ti n l es s than ei gh t ee n d ee r persquare m i l e w as re as on abl e i n l i gh tof the confl i ct i ng obj ec t i ves o f th e F o r e s t P la n . See N

at i ve E cosystem s C ou nci l v. D om beck , 304 F . 3d 886, 900 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) . I n s um , the di s tr i c tc our tc orr e c t l y de t e r m i ne d tha tT C S ha d a “ ve ry l ow l i kel i ho od of succ es s on the m er i t s” of i t s N E P A and N F M A cl ai m s. T here fore , e ve n a s s um i ng the di s tr i c tc our tw a s c orr e c ti n c onc l udi ng tha tthe ba l a nc e of the ha r ds hi ps a nd the publ i c i nt e r e s tt i ppe d i n T C S ’ s f a vor , the di s tr i c tc our tdi d not6

ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in d e n y in g T C S a p r e lim in a ry in ju n c tio n . See W

i ldw es t Inst. v. B u ll , 4 7 2 F .3 d 5 8 7 , 5 9 0 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) . A FFI R M ED .