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.
Redfish Lake Cell Tower
Case: Petition for Environmental Review of AT&T Proposed Tower in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Near Redfish Lake, ID
September 19, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a reply in support of our Petition for Environmental Review. September 1, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a Petition for Environmental Review with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect scenic and historic values from a proposed 195-foot commercial cell tower on a ridge overlooking…
Stibnite Mine Air Quality Permit
Case: Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho Conservation League, and Save the South Fork Salmon v. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
July 22, 2022 — Advocates for the West appealed an air quality permit issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Perpetua Resources Idaho, Inc. for its proposed Stibnite Gold Project. We represent the Nez Perce Tribe and Idaho Conservation League in this appeal, which was filed together with Save the South Fork Salmon. Over the prior two years,…
Point Reyes National Seashore Followup Case
Case: Resource Renewal Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and Western Watersheds Project v. National Park Service, No. 3:22-cv-145
January 10, 2022 —Advocates for the West filed a lawsuit challenging the controversial National Park Service management plan for California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, one of a handful of national parks that permits cattle grazing. For decades, the Park Service has leased about 28,000 acres of public lands at Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden…
Sage Hen Project Logging
Case: Idaho Conservation League v. U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, No. 1:21-cv-00504-CWD
October 19, 2022 — Advocates for the West reached a settlement requiring the Forest Service to develop an additional alternative with reduced road construction and commercial logging for the Sage Hen Restoration Project on Idaho’s Boise National Forest. December 20, 2021 — Advocates for the West filed a lawsuit on behalf of Idaho Conservation League (ICL)…
Oil & Gas Leases in Sage-Grouse Habitat
Case: Western Watersheds Project and Center for Biological Diversity V. Ryan K. Zinke, David Bernhardt; and BLM
June 9, 2021 – Advocates for the West won a ruling from Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush that suspended new drilling and fracking on 605 federal oil and gas leases spanning 403,820 acres of greater sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming and Montana. The Court ruled that the BLM violated federal law by failing to justify its refusal…
Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas
Case: Case 1:21-cv-01506
June 3, 2021 – Advocates for the West filed suit against the Department of Interior and Bureau of Land management for a plan approved under the Trump Administration to move ahead with plans to punch a four-lane highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. The planned highway would pave over a protected, sensitive, scenic…
June 24, 2022
Logging in the Salmon-Clearwater Divide
Case: Case 3:21-cv-00189-CWD
June 24, 2022 — Advocates for the West won a major victory halting the “End of the World” and “Hungry Ridge” projects. In the decision, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho agreed that the Forest Service failed to ensure required minimum amounts of old growth will be protected from logging. The Court…
Oil & Gas Drilling in the Uncompahgre Region
Case: Oil & Gas Drilling in the Uncompahgre Region
October 17, 2022 — Advocates for the West reached a settlement agreement with the BLM that prevents the issuance of new oil and gas leases for lands in the Uncompahgre planning area until the agency conducts a more thorough environmental analysis and develops an amended plan. Under the agreement, the BLM must reconsider the eligibility of lands open to oil and…
Fairfield OSV Winter Travel
Case: 1:19-cv-00195-DCN
April 14, 2020 – Advocates for the West filed suit to help defend a winter travel plan issued by the Forest Service that regulates snowmobile use on a Ranger District in Central Idaho. The Fairfield Ranger District on the Sawtooth National Forest completed a winter travel plan that allowed for significantly increased public snowmobile use in the…
San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Grazing
Case: Case 4:20-cv-00149-JGZ
August 1, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a settlement agreement sending the Bureau of Land Management back to its planning desk to reconsider the impacts of livestock grazing on the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The settlement compels the Bureau to reconsider the compatibility of grazing authorizations on four allotments within the…
