WILDLIFE in the WEST
Threatened and endangered species in the West cover the gamut. They are bighorn sheep and wolves. They are sage-grouse and salmon. They are pygmy rabbits and spotted frogs.
Our wildlife cases wield the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and others to halt habitat destruction – unchecked grazing, industrial development, mining exploration, obsolete dams – wildlife in the West face these and many other threats daily.
As climate change and human activities cause the loss and fragmentation of habitats, our work becomes increasingly vital. We strive to protect and boost diminishing wildlife populations – from the mighty bighorn to the fragile frog.
Eugene Water and Electric Board Endangered Species Act Violations
Case: Cascadia Wildlands, Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon Wild, and Native Fish Society v. Eugene Water and Electric Board
June 30, 2025 — Advocates for the West presented oral argument in support of our motion for preliminary injunction, while our partners at Public Justice argued against EWEB’s motion to dismiss. May 16, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed a motion for preliminary injunction and memorandum in support. We’re seeking an order from the…
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…
Antelope Allotment: FOIA Records Request
Case: Western Watersheds Project vs. U.S. Forest Service
October 15, 2024 — Advocates for the West favorably settled this case. June 20, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the U.S. Forest Service to release public records as required by law. The case involves two separate FOIA requests sent to the Forest Service regarding…
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Grazing Mismanagement
Case: WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Project v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
May 23, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed a response opposing federal defendant FWS’ motion to remand without vacating its five cooperative agriculture agreements and commercial special use permits authorizing commercial livestock grazing at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. In its motion, FWS conceded significant shortcomings in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)…
Crooked River Water Rights
Case: Upper Crooked River Conservationists and Shotgun Ranch, LLC v. Water Resources Department of the State of Oregon and Water Resources Commission of the State of Oregon
February 11, 2025 — Advocates for the West won a victory to protect fish and wildlife in Oregon’s Crooked River. The Crook County Circuit Court rejected several ranchers’ attempt to invalidate the water right issued by the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to protect flows for fish and wildlife in the lower Crooked River. The…
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
January 22, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed suit challenging the Air Force’s decision to expand and intensify its military trainings using F-15 fighter jets over Wilderness Areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers in the Owyhee Canyonlands of Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, threatening key sage-grouse strongholds, as well as bighorn sheep and other wildlife….
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…
Bonneville Power Administration: Reserves Distribution
Case: Idaho Conservation League, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, and Idaho Rivers United v. Bonneville Power Administration
December 2, 2024 — Advocates for the West presented oral argument in both our FY2022 and FY2023 reserves distribution cases before a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel. September 6, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed a reply brief in our FY2023 reserves distribution case. June 28, 2024 — Advocates for…
Bonneville Power Administration: FOIA Request for Kintama Records
Case: Advocates for the West v. Bonneville Power Administration
December 15, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit against the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to compel the federal agency to produce certain records as required by law. The records concern BPA’s relationship with Canadian research company Kintama Research Services. Over the last decade, BPA has funded some of Kintama’s…
Stibnite Mine Air Quality Permit
Case: Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho Conservation League, and Save the South Fork Salmon v. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
October 4, 2024 — Advocates for the West and our partners filed two expert declarations in our case challenging the air pollution permit issued, and later invalidated, for the proposed Stibnite Gold Mine. The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality has remanded the permit to a hearing officer for additional consideration of Idaho Department of Environmental…
