LAND in the WEST
In the West, there is an unmistakable feeling of openness. That call of the wild. That sense that this belongs to all of us. As, in truth, it does. With over 350 million acres of public lands in the West, this land is our land.
The American West is home to some of the most biologically diverse and beautiful regions in the world. From the Northern Rockies, to the Sierras and Cascades, to the vast Sagebrush Sea, the singular nature of each place in the West’s public lands unfolds a boundless variety of wonder.
The inherent possibility in the wild nature of the West is limitless – we consider it our sacred trust to ensure public lands are here to benefit many generations to come.
Northern Corridor Highway Followup
Case: Conserve Southwest Utah, Conservation Lands Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, The Wilderness Society, WildEarth Guardians vs. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al.
March 1, 2026 — The U.S. District Court granted a motion by Advocates for the West and our partners to block ground-disturbing activities associated with construction of the Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, Utah. The Court’s injunction prohibits the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) from starting construction-related activities that…
Public Lands Sale FOIA Violations
Case: The Wilderness Society v. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
January 6, 2026 — Representing The Wilderness Society, Advocates for the West filed a federal lawsuit seeking to compel the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to release records related to a joint federal initiative targeting the sale of public lands…
Chuckwalla National Monument Defense
Case: Daniel Torongo and BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc. v. Douglas Burgum; Bureau of Land Management; and the United States Department of the Interior
March 3, 2026 — A district court judge approved nine organizations’ request to intervene in a lawsuit to defend California’s Chuckwalla National Monument. The intervening organizations include CactusToCloud Institute, California Native Plant Society, CalWild, Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Lands Foundation, the National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, Vet Voice Foundation, and The Wilderness Society….
Point Reyes Settlement Legal Attacks
Case: Nicolette Hahn Niman, William Niman, David Evans, and Claire Herminjard v. United States Deparment of the Interior, et al.
January 23, 2026 — Following a hearing at which Advocates for the West Staff Attorney Lizzy Potter and attorneys representing federal defendants and The Nature Conservancy argued for dismissal, a federal judge dismissed a complaint filed by filed by Marin attorney Andrew Giacomini. The lawsuit erroneously alleged that the Park Service conspired with The Nature…
State and Industry Challenges to Public Lands Rule
Case: States of Utah and Wyoming v. Deb Haaland, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Conservation Lands Foundation, and The Wilderness Society
October 1, 2024 — Advocates for the West and our partners at Conservation Lands Foundation, The Wilderness Society, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed a motion to intervene to defend BLM’s Public Lands Rule against yet another lawsuit brought this past summer by the American Farm Bureau and other industry trade associations representing the oil…
Owyhee Military Airspace Expansion
Case: Oregon Natural Desert Association, Friends of the Nevada Wilderness, and Idaho Conservation League v. U.S. Department of the Air Force
February 4, 2026 — Advocates for the West filed our motion for summary judgment, challenging the U.S. Air Force’s July 2023 Record of Decision (ROD) and March 2023 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to expand and intensify its military trainings using F-15 fighter jets over 7.5 million acres in the Owyhee Canyonlands. Our brief argues that…
Air Force Owyhee Airspace Optimization: FOIA Records Request
Case: Idaho Conservation League v. U.S. Air Force
May 16, 2025 — Advocates for the West favorably settled this case. October 10, 2023 — Advocates for the West filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel Mountain Home Air Force Base to release public records as required by law. The records relate to the Air Force’s proposal to expand and intensify…
Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Degradation
Case: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Western Watersheds Project v. Debra Haaland, Tracy Stone-Manning, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management
September 13, 2023 — Advocates for the West filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its failure to abide by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to determine the prioritization and timing of environmental analyses for livestock grazing allotments on public…
Big Creek Airstrips
Case: Wilderness Watch, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Friends of the Clearwater, and Friends of the Bitterroot v. Linda Jackson, Mary Farnsworth, and United States Forest Service
December 10, 2024 — The Court issued a memorandum decision and order dismissing the State of Idaho’s cross claims and approving our settlement with the Forest Service requiring the agency to issue corrective management instructions that the four unlawful airstrips are only open for emergency and not recreational use, and to monitor future use of…
Redfish Lake Cell Tower
Case: Petition for Environmental Review of AT&T Proposed Tower in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Near Redfish Lake, ID
January 27, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed an Application for Review, asking the Federal Communications Commission to review the denial of our Petition for Environmental Review and to require an Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act for AT&T’s proposal to construct a commercial cell tower…
