Sabine River Authority v. U.S. Department of Interior

GOLDBERG, Circuit Judge:

This case is for the birds — thousands of them. And we mean that in no facetious sense.

At issue is a non-development easement on 3800 acres of land in East Texas, containing high-quality wetlands and wildlife habitat essential to migratory waterfowl. The Little Sandy Hunting and Fishing Club donated the easement to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an effort to guarantee that the wetlands would be preserved in their pristine state without the corrupting effect of commercial, agricultural, and industrial development. By accepting the easement, the Fish and Wildlife…