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Defendants and intervenors moved to reopen the case to introduce new evidence. (D.E. 328). Asdiscussed herein, the Court considered the new evidence but found it flawed and preliminary, and not persuasive,and consequently, on December 6, 2012, denied the motion to reopen as moot.

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Any finding of fact made herein that also constitutes a conclusion of law is adopted as a conclusion of law. Any conclusion of law made herein that also constitutes a finding of fact is adopted as a finding of fact. Allfindings of fact and conclusions are made by a preponderance of the evidence

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTSOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXASCORPUS CHRISTI DIVISIONTHE ARANSAS PROJECT,§Plaintiff,§§VS.§ Case No. 2:10-cv-075§BRYAN SHAW, et

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,§Defendants.§

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND VERDICT OF THE COURT

This case was tried to the Court over an eight-day period on December 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14,and 15, 2011.

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As required by Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court makesthe following findings of fact and conclusions of law thereon.

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Table of Contents

I.INTRODUCTION.......................................................5II.STATUTORY FRAMEWORK............................................10A.The Endangered Species Act........................................101.ESA § 9 prohibits “takes” of endangered species...................11

Case 2:10-cv-00075 Document 354 Filed in TXSD on 03/11/13 Page 1 of 124

Page 2 of 1242. ESA § 10 addresses incidental takes.................................13III.FINDINGS ON STANDING AND JURISDICTION...........................14A.Standing........................................................141. Injury in fact...............................................152.Redressability..............................................163.Causation.................................................19B. Burford abstention................................................211.Senate Bill 3...............................................232.Texas surface waters.........................................31IV.FINDINGS ON CAUSATION.............................................42A. Court’s findings as to witness expertise and credibility....................42B.TCEQ’s water diversions reduce freshwater inflows to the Refuge...........441.Trungale established permitted water diversions lower inflows to Refuge..........................................................442.Trungale’s findings anticipated................................483.Dr. Ward’s modeling not reliable...............................504.Dr. Montagna’s observations and studies confirmed Trungale’s modeling................................................................525.Dr. Davis’ modeling.........................................55C.Higher salinities adversely affect blue crabs and wolfberries...............57


Page 3 of 1241.Dr. Montagna on salinity preferences of blue crabs.................582.Dr. Miller’s blue crab data. ...................................603.Wolfberry production........................................614.Observations and measurements concerning blue crab abundance and wolfberry availability in 2008-2009. ...........................61D.Statistical modeling confirms higher salinities are associated with higher cranemortality on the Refuge............................................62E.At least 23 Whooping Cranes died on the Refuge in 2008/2009.............641.Counting cranes is rooted in crane behavior. .....................672.Tom Stehn determined peak population numbers for the USFWS......683.Crane mortality counts.......................................724.Defendants’ and intervenors’ objections to mortality counts..........75F.Food stress caused the death of at least 23 cranes

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.......................781.Necropsy findings...........................................792.Opinions of the crane experts..................................793.Defendants and intervenors failed attempt to disprove food stress was causeof cranes’ death.............................................83(a)Dr. Stroud...........................................83(b)Dr. Slack............................................84(c)Dr. Porter...........................................86G.Motion to reopen and the Abundance Survey...........................881.Population versus mortality...................................89
