Oregon Natural Resources Council, Inc. v. United States Forest Service

JAMES M. BURNS, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

This is another environmental case. But that phrase is, perhaps, more deceptive than descriptive. Each environmental case is both the same and different. The issues are generally the same, or similar; the scenery, never. The valleys, the peaks, the colors, the trees, the skies, the streams, and the views — all are subtly, or strikingly different.

The centerpiece of the area involved in this case is a river gorge of heart-stopping magnificence. It lies at the bottom of a steep slope of old growth virgin timber; brooding, and presiding over this area is…