Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue, Sierra Club, and Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Forest Service, Forest Supervisor James Melonas, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Paul Souza, Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 8, exercising the delegated authority of the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE DIVISION CIVIL CASE NO. 1:24-cv-00118-MR-WCM DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, ) MOUNTAINTRUE, SIERRA CLUB, ) and CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL ) DIVERSITY ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) MEMORANDUM OF vs. ) DECISION AND ORDER ) U.S. FOREST SERVICE, FOREST ) SUPERVISOR JAMES MELONAS, ) U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, ) and PAUL SOUZA, REGIONAL ) DIRECTOR of the U.S. FISH AND ) WILDLIFE SERVICE, REGION 8, ) exercising the delegated authority ) of the DIRECTOR of the U.S. FISH ) AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, ) ) Defendants. )…