RP, You may find it highly educational to read the case "High Sierra Hikers vs US Forest Service", it is easily found on the web.
This case which occured in 2004, had to do with allotment of number of pack station permits on the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wildernesses.
The net effect, after the appeals, were to divert half of all the budget of the Sierra NF (other than fire)for something like 5 years to complying with the mandates of the lawsuit, which had primarily to do with documenting current conditions in the backcountry (which had largely been neglected due to budget cuts. They had made a decision to concentrate on actually DOING maintenance, over documenting of maintenance(the documenting process is unbelievably detail oriented-it requires wheeled measuring devices and noting things to the nearest foot). It had a simlar, but not as large effect, on the Inyo.
Just ask any employee on either forest about "THE lawsuit"......and stand back.
