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public who have participated in the decision-tnaking process through the opoortunities 

 afforded by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) also have the right to appeal 

 these decisions. Finally, preservationist organizations are increasingly turning to the court 

 system as a method of appealing decisions. As in most examples, litigation further 

 complicates resource decisions. 

 Administrative Appeals Process: 



CCA has been directly involved in two significant administrative appeals involving 

 the management of FS grazing allotments during the past 4 years. The first case involved 

 the Tahoe Basin Management Unit and was ultimately resolved in favor of the grazing 

 permittees. The second case involved the Stanislaus National Forest and was resolved 

 unfavorably to the grazing permittees. Both cases illustrate the problems with the current 

 appeals process. 



In July 1 993, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit issued a decision for the Meiss 

 Grazing Allotment requiring the removal of livestock for up to 15 years. The grazing 

 permittees hired an attorney specializing in natural resource law and filed an appeal of the 

 decision. CCA also filed an appeal of the decision as an interested public (this appeal was 

 dismissed by the Chief of the Forest Service). The preparation of these appeals, particularly 

 that filed b/ the permittees, was extremely time consuming and costly (the permittees 

 incurred costs in excess of $45,000, while CCA expended numerous staff hours). The 

 decision was upheld by the Forest Supervisor, who then forwarded the appeals to the 

 Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region (R5). Subsequently, the appeals officer. 

 Deputy Regional Forester Dale Bosworth, was promoted to Regional Forester in the 



I;\LECISIAT\1jSFSAPPL.7ST 



