Isle Royale Boaters Ass'n v. Norton

154 F. Supp. 2d 1098, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7778, 2001 WL 823429
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedJune 6, 2001
Docket2:99-cv-00152
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 154 F. Supp. 2d 1098 (Isle Royale Boaters Ass'n v. Norton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Isle Royale Boaters Ass'n v. Norton, 154 F. Supp. 2d 1098, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7778, 2001 WL 823429 (W.D. Mich. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER

QUIST, District Judge.

In accordance with the Opinion entered this day:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Strike Affidavits *1107 (docket #116) and Second Motion to Strike Affidavits (docket # 121) are DENIED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (docket # 117) is GRANTED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (docket # 47) is DENIED.

This case is closed,

OPINION AND ORDER

Table of Contents

I. Facts.1108

II. Statutory Background.1108

A. National Park Service Organic Act.1109

B. Isle Royale National Park Act.1109

C. Isle Royale Wilderness Statute.1109

D. The Wilderness Act .1110

E. Root-Bryce Treaty of 1909 .1110

F. National Environmental Policy Act.1111

G. Rehabilitation Act and Americans With Disabilities.1111

III. Motion Standard.1111

IV. Motions to Strike.1112

V. Analysis .1113

A. Standing.1113

B. Violations of Law.1116

1. Wilderness Act.1116
2. Isle Royale National Park Act.1119
3. Root-Bryce Treaty.■.■.1119
4. Isle Royale Wilderness Act .1119

6. National Park Service Organic Act and Isle Royale National Park Act_1124

6. NEPA.1125

a. Rigorous Analysis.1127

b. Lack of Site-Specific Analysis.1129

c. Failure to Prepare Supplemental EIS .1131

d. Failure to Disclose Critical Documents.1132

e. Lack of Accuracy and Integrity.1132

7. Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.1134

C. Arbitrary and Capricious Acts.1135

VI. Conclusion.1140

OPINION

The controversy in this case centers around Isle Royale, a national park located on an island in the waters of Lake Superi- or. Plaintiffs, a group of motorboaters who regularly visit Isle Royale, filed this action pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. §§ 701 to 706, seeking review of a General Management Plan (“GMP”) adopted by the National Park Service (referred to as “NPS” or collectively with the other defendants as “Defendants”) to govern its administration of Isle Royale National Park for the next 15 to 20 years. Plaintiffs claim that the NPS acted arbitrarily and capriciously in adopting the GMP and that the GMP violates various laws. Now before the Court are the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment. 1

*1108 I. Facts

Isle Royale (sometimes referred to as the “Park”) is a national park located in the waters of Lake Superior. In addition to being a national park, Isle Royale is also a federal wilderness area. Isle Royale is managed by NPS, which, as will be explained in the section of this Opinion regarding relevant statutes, enjoys broad statutory authority to regulate the Park. Beginning in February 1994, and pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § la-7 (which provides that “[gjeneral management plans for the preservation and use of each unit of the National Park System ... shall be prepared and revised in a timely manner by the Director of the National Park Service”), NPS began the process of preparing a GMP to guide its administration of the island. A series of public meetings were held, and in March, 1998, NPS produced a draft GMP, which also served as an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The draft GMP contained five alternative plans (A — E), one of which was the preferred plan selected by Defendants. Comments on the draft GMP from the public and various government agencies were submitted to the NPS. Based on those comments, the NPS made revisions to the proposed plan. A final GMP/EIS was produced in August 1998. The GMP outlined the alternatives for managing the Park, identifying alternative D, as revised, as the proposed alternative. A record of decision (“ROD”) selecting the proposed alternative was executed on May 11, 1999.

The goal of the proposed alternative was stated as follows:

to meet the diverse expectations and needs of Isle Royale visitors while emphasizing the natural quiet that is fundamental to wilderness experiences. All park areas will be available to all visitors, so long as users participate in ways that are consistent with the access, facilities, and opportunities provided. Management zones will provide guidance for managing specific areas for desired visitor experiehce and resource conditions.

(ROD at 1, AR at 14799). In order to implement this goal,

Campgrounds will be designed and access provided to separate motorized and non-motorized uses in a few areas; certain docks will be removed or relocated, for example, and some new campgrounds will be provided. A variety of uses will be available that will be fairly evenly distributed across the island. Use limits may become necessary in some management zones to prevent overcrowding and maintain quiet and solitude. Quiet/no-wake water zones will be established to reduce noise and wake impacts in numerous areas. Other regulations aimed at reducing sound associated with humans will also be implemented.

(Id.).

Plaintiffs disagree with numerous aspects of the proposed action as detailed in the GMP, particularly those affecting mo-torboaters. They filed this suit on August 18, 1999, and filed a first amended Complaint on March 6, 2000, requesting that this Court permanently enjoin NPS from implementing the GMP. Plaintiffs allege that the proposed actions of removing docks, shelters, and the Indian Portage Trail; dividing the Park into zones allowing varying levels of use and modification of the environment within these levels; and proposing the future creation of non-motorized zones, violate the statutes listed below, in spite of the broad authority these statutes give NPS to regulate and manage the Park.

II. Statutory Background

The NPS, as a unit of the Department of the Interior, manages Isle Royale. The source of its statutory authority, and other *1109 relevant statutes, follow.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
154 F. Supp. 2d 1098, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7778, 2001 WL 823429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/isle-royale-boaters-assn-v-norton-miwd-2001.