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.
Bears Ears National Monument Defense
Case: Memorandum of Understanding
In February 2017, we entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Conservation Lands Foundation (CLF) to provide legal advice and representation in defending National Monuments and other parts of the National Conservation Lands System (NCLS) in the face of threats from the Trump Administration. Senior Attorney Todd Tucci is leading this work, with assistance…
Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas
Case: Motion to Intervene
March 24, 2017 – Advocates for the West filed a motion to intervene in the Washington County, Utah appeal of the Final Resource Management Plans (RMP) for the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas (NCA). Earlier in the year, Washington County filed an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA),…
Protecting Idaho Wild and Scenic Rivers
Case: Case 3:16-cv-00102-CWD
Advocates for the West filed suit in Idaho federal court to protect the Selway and Middle Fork Clearwater Wild and Scenic Rivers from massive clear-cutting approved by the Forest Service on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. The suit challenges the Forest Service’s approval of the Johnson Bar Fire Salvage Project, which would log 34 million…
Point Reyes National Seashore
Case: RRI, CBD & WWP vs. National Park Service & Cicely Muldoon
February 10, 2016 – Advocates for the West teamed up with the San Francisco-based law firm Keker & Van Nest to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking to require the National Park Service to update its General Management Plan and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement prior to adopting a proposed ranching plan to issue…
East Boulder Creek Gold Mining
Case: Idaho Conservation League v. U.S. Forest Service, Case No. 4:15-cv-284 (D. Idaho)
Advocates for the West is challenging the Forest Service’s decision to approve gold mining in the Napoleon Ridge Roadless Area on East Boulder Creek without studying the environmental impacts. East Boulder Creek is a tributary to the main Salmon River and is located approximately 11 miles west of North Fork, Idaho. On July 10, the…
Canyon of the Ancients Grazing
Case: Canyon of the Ancients Grazing
On August 11th, 2015, Advocates for the West’s Staff Attorney Elizabeth Zultoski filed a protest against the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed decision to issue new 10-year grazing permits in Colorado’s famed Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. Canyon of the Ancients includes 170,965 acres in the Four Corners region of southwest Colorado and contains “the highest known density of archaeological sites in…
Protecting Selway Wild and Scenic Values
Case: IRU & Morgan and Olga Wright v. District Ranger Joe Hudson & USFS
On May 19, 2015, Advocates for the West filed a complaint on behalf of Idaho Rivers United against District Ranger Joe Hudson and the United States Forest Service for unlawfully designating forest road 652 on the Nez Perce National Forest as a “public road.” This designation would allow the Idaho Department of Lands to utilize…
Treasure Valley Air Pollution
Case: Petition Filed
On February 6, 2015, Advocates for the West and the Idaho Conservation League petitioned EPA to take urgent action to address growing air quality problems in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. It’s no surprise to locals that air quality can be less than pristine in the Treasure Valley, particularly during winter weather inversions. However, we were surprised to learn that fine…
Gunnison sage-grouse more than “threatened”
Case: Gunnison sage-grouse
In 2014, Advocates for the West filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for backtracking on the agency’s previous proposal to list Gunnison sage-grouse as “endangered.” The Gunnison sage-grouse is found in seven populations scattered across SW Colorado and SE Utah. The bird is a separate species related…
Albeni Falls Dam
Case: Case 12-70338
Advocates for the West filed a petition for review in federal appeals court challenging the Bonneville Power Administration’s approval of “flexible winter operations” at the Albeni Falls dam, which will allow sharp variations in the lake levels of Lake Pend Oreille, one of the largest lakes in North America, adversely impacting native species, causing erosion,…
