Rey

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

The Plaintiffs in this case, a group of environmental organizations, challenge the 2004 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (“SNFPA”), commonly known as the 2004 Framework, along with Basin, a site-specific forest management project promulgated following adoption of the 2004 Framework. Defendants are sued in their official capacities as representatives of the United States Forest Service (“Forest Service”). Plaintiffs contend that both the 2004 Framework and the Basin Plan, as promulgated by the Forest Service, run counter to the provisions of the National Forest Management Act (“NFMA”) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”). Presently before the Court are cross-motions for summary judgment filed on behalf of both the Plaintiffs and Defendants.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The Sierra Nevada contains some 11.5 million acres of National Forest Service land with eleven National Forests and encompasses “dozens of complex ecosystems each with numerous, inter-connected social, economic and ecological components.” SNFPA 1920. In the late 1980s, the Forest Service began developing a comprehensive strategy for managing the myriad resources found within the…