56 



Intermountain Region. After the appoinlinent of |im Lawrence as his replacement, the 

 perrrittees and their counsel nriade an oral presentation to Mr. Lawrence in June 1994. 

 Delays in researching the record of the original decision, as well as additional personnel 

 changes in the R5 office, delayed the final decision until lune 1995 (approximately 2 years 

 after the issuance of the original decision and the filing of the original appeal). While the 

 appeal decision overturned the original management plan, the cost to the permittees in terms 

 of time and money was substantial. 



In December 1995, the Stanislaus National Forest issued a decision reducing the 

 number of permitted cattle on the Highland Lakes Allotment by 33 percent. Again, the 

 grazing permittees hired legal representation and appealed the decision. CCA, along with 

 the local cattlemen's association and other local agriculture and resource groups, also 

 appealed the decision. In addition, two preservation groups who were represented by the 

 Forest as opposing all grazing also appealed the decision. Based on new FS appeal 

 regulations, the permittees, along with CCA and the other appellants, were invited to an 

 informal disposition hearing. During this meeting, which the environmental organizations 

 were unable to attend, CCA suggested that an impartial third party be contracted to highlight 

 the common interests of all parties interested in the allotment. CCA further suggested that 

 "■lis effort also involve third party scientific participation to assist in developing a 

 management plan that represented these coirimon interests. All parties, including the 

 District staff of the Forest (who coordinated the hearing) seemed enthusiastic about this 

 option, However, the environmental appellants, who participated in a conference call with 

 the Forest several days later, vetoed the idea, apparently still favoring the elimination of 



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