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Lawsuit Challenges New U.S. Forest Service Plan for Nez Perce-Clearwater Forests
October 20, 2026

Lawsuit Challenges New U.S. Forest Service Plan for Nez Perce-Clearwater Forests

Advocates for the West and our conservation partners sued the U.S. Forest Service for its approval of the Revised Land Management Plan for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the overarching document that guides management of approximately 4 million acres of National Forest land in North Central Idaho. Plaintiffs Idaho Conservation League, Great Burn Conservation Alliance, […]

Legal Intervention Seeks to Defend Sage-grouse from Oil Industry Lawsuit
October 19, 2026

Legal Intervention Seeks to Defend Sage-grouse from Oil Industry Lawsuit

On behalf of our partners Western Watersheds Project and the Center for Biological Diversity, Advocates for the West filed a motion to intervene in, and dismiss, an oil industry lawsuit that asks a court to affirm the Trump administration’s latest greater sage-grouse management plan for Wyoming. The conservation groups say the Western Energy Alliance’s case, […]

Ben Gordon Joins Advocates for the West as Next Executive Director
September 15, 2026

Ben Gordon Joins Advocates for the West as Next Executive Director

Advocates for the West is excited to welcome Ben Gordon as the organization’s next executive director. Gordon was selected following a national search launched earlier this year after founding Executive Director Laird Lucas announced his plans to retire from the position in June. Gordon joins Advocates for the West after serving since 2020 as executive […]

Conservation Groups Appeal Federal Agencies’ Approval of Stibnite Gold Mine in Idaho
August 25, 2026

Conservation Groups Appeal Federal Agencies’ Approval of Stibnite Gold Mine in Idaho

Advocates for the West and a coalition of local and national conservation organizations today filed an appeal seeking to reverse federal agencies’ unlawful approval of the Stibnite Gold Project and halt Perpetua Resources’ initial mine construction. The proposed open-pit cyanide leach gold mine would jeopardize public health and clean water, harm threatened species and permanently […]

Conservation Groups File Appeal to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine
June 8, 2026

Conservation Groups File Appeal to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine

Advocates for the West and a coalition of local and national conservation organizations on Friday filed an appeal to halt Perpetua Resources’ construction of the Stibnite Gold Project in the headwaters of Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River. Perpetua has insisted on moving forward with “full construction” despite the conservation groups’ pending lawsuit that seeks […]

Coalition of Conservation Groups Asks Court to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine 
May 12, 2026

Coalition of Conservation Groups Asks Court to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine 

Advocates for the West and a coalition of local and national conservation groups filed a motion for preliminary injunction to halt Perpetua Resource’s pending construction of the Stibnite Gold Project, an open-pit cyanide leach gold mine in the headwaters of the South Fork of the Salmon River. The motion asks to halt construction of the […]

Northern Corridor Highway Risks Irreversible Harm to Mojave Desert Tortoise 
May 11, 2026

Northern Corridor Highway Risks Irreversible Harm to Mojave Desert Tortoise 

Advocates for the West, along with six Utah-based and national conservation organizations, amended our February lawsuit today over the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to adequately protect the threatened Mojave desert tortoise when reapproving the Northern Corridor Highway in January 2026. The long-opposed highway would tear through critical […]

Conservation Group Pressure Prompts Idaho DEQ to Sue Cities Polluting Snake and South Fork Teton Rivers
April 16, 2026

Conservation Group Pressure Prompts Idaho DEQ to Sue Cities Polluting Snake and South Fork Teton Rivers

Last week, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) filed litigation against the cities of Burley and Rexburg over ongoing violations of the federal Clean Water Act at wastewater treatment plants they operate. This action comes after Snake River Waterkeeper (SRW) and the Idaho Conservation League (ICL), represented by attorneys at Advocates for the West, […]

Court Sends Decision Authorizing Domestic Sheep Grazing in Bighorn Sheep Habitat in Colorado Back to the Forest Service
April 9, 2026

Court Sends Decision Authorizing Domestic Sheep Grazing in Bighorn Sheep Habitat in Colorado Back to the Forest Service

A Colorado federal judge reinforced a major conservation victory for bighorn sheep conservation on the Rio Grande National Forest. The court granted a motion to remand the decision to create the Wishbone Allotment back to the U.S. Forest Service, requiring thorough assessment before domestic sheep grazing can be authorized on the allotment. “Bighorn sheep are […]

Federal Court Halts Construction of Highway Through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Utah
March 3, 2026

Federal Court Halts Construction of Highway Through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Utah

The U.S. District Court granted a motion by conservation organizations 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 would cause irreparable harm to the threatened […]