WE WORK WONDERS for NATURAL WONDERS
When an environmental plight calls for lean and hard-hitting legal muscle, conservation groups, Native American Tribes, and concerned citizens call on us. Advocates for the West boosts the strength of our partners by providing free legal representation in federal court—advancing the mission of every client by putting the power of law and science on the side of the West.
Since our founding in 2003, Advocates for the West has provided free legal support to our partners with an 85% record of success.
Smart and efficient, our attorneys work with partners to develop strategic cases aimed at enforcing the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. We handle an extensive caseload with an impressive win record.
We work wonders to perpetuate natural wonders. We win for the West.
Oregon Spotted Frog on Antelope Allotment
Case: Concerned Friends of the Winema, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Western Watersheds Project, Oregon Wild, and Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Forest Service
January 24, 2017 — In an exciting wrap-up to this important case, District Judge Aiken adopted in-full Judge Clarke’s ruling, which means that the biological opinion in question is vacated and the Forest Service must reinitiate consultation over the spotted frog. The agency will also be unable to issue new permits unless they demonstrate to…
Midas Gold Mining Exploration
Case: Idaho Conservation League, and Nez Perce Tribe v. U.S. Forest Service, NOAA Fisheries, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
June 23rd, 2014 — The U.S. Forest Service issued a letter to Midas Gold revoking its earlier approval of the company’s exploration plans, known as the Golden Meadows Exploration Project. The Forest Service revoked its earlier approval of the project and ordered Midas Gold to halt all work at the site, and that if Midas…
Salmon River Navigability
Case: Salmon River Navigability challenge by Idaho Conservation League
January of 2014 — Advocates for the West’s Staff Attorney Bryan Hurlbutt filed a petition on behalf of the Idaho Conservation League asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revisit its determination from the 1930′s that Idaho’s Salmon River is not navigable. Because of this flawed determination, the Salmon River and endangered fish species are not…
Wildlife Services FOIAs
Case: Request Under Freedom of Information Act Made on Behalf of Western Watersheds Project
Advocates for the West is helping our client Western Watersheds Project keep an eye on the notorious wildlife-killing agency, Wildlife Services. The agency kills thousands of animals around the West every year. In 2012, the agency killed over 3,000 coyotes in Idaho alone. The methods used include cruel and dangerous ones, such as foot-hold traps,…
Caribou Habitat Protection Followup Case
Case: Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Conservation Northwest Idaho Conservation League, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, and The Lands Council v. Brian Kelly and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
March 23, 2015 — We received a favorable ruling from Judge Lodge, stating that the US Fish and Wildlife Service did not provide the public with enough time to comment on the agency’s decision to drastically reduce the protected caribou habitat from over 375,000 acres down to a mere 30,010 acres. May 23, 2014 —…
Albeni Falls Dam
Case: Idaho Conservation League v. Bonneville Power Administration
June 26, 2016 — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion denying our Petition for Review. We filed the Petition on behalf of the Idaho Conservation League, challenging the Bonneville Power Administration’s decision to adopt new winter operations at the Albeni Falls Dam in North Idaho. Under the new operations, Lake Pend Oreille…
California BLM FOIA
Case: Western Watersheds Project v. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of the Interior
After we filed this case, BLM finally produced the requested documents in late 2013. Having received the requested information, we were able to reach a settlement with BLM in late February 2014. This case challenges BLM’s failure to fully respond to several Freedom of Information Act requests that have been pending for over two and…
Cave Lake Sage-Grouse Habitat Protection
Case: Western Watersheds Project v. Amy Luenders, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Department of Interior
June 14, 2013 — In a case led by Senior Attorney Todd Tucci, Advocates for the West filed a complaint on behalf of Western Watersheds Project to protect 145,000 acres of public lands in the Ely district of Nevada, which contains key sage-grouse habitat. This is a follow-up case to our broader, ongoing lawsuit challenging 16 BLM Resource Management…
Little Lost River Bull Trout
Case: Western Watersheds Project v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service
Advocates for the West filed a new action in April 2013 to protect bull trout in the Little Lost River watershed in central Idaho, on behalf of client Western Watersheds Project. The beautiful Little Lost River valley is bordered on the west by the highest range in Idaho – the Lost River Range – and on…
Snowmobile Use in Kapka Butte Area and Proposed Sno-Park
Case: Wild Wilderness, Winter Wildlands Alliance, and Bend Backcountry Alliance v. John Allen, U.S. Forest Service
August 19, 2015 — Advocates for the West filed a reply brief. The brief states that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) attempted to refute our client’s claims obscuring the real issues, relying on our client’s “concessions,” and offering post hoc explanations for its decision rather than even attempting to defend the actual explanations found in…
