SNRA and Wolves:  Our litigation challenges the Forest Service’s failure to manage grazing on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area to prevent “substantial impairment” of wolves and other wildlife.  The court has ordered new environmental reviews, which should reduce grazing in the East Fork Salmon basin; and has prohibited wolf killing by federal agencies, thus providing a refuge for wolves in central Idaho.  [Read the “Wolves in the Sawtooths” legal documents in our library: Federal court's ruling on the Forest Service's legal violations (pdf) 6/13/02; Injunction (pdf) 7/19/02; Federal court extends injunction protecting wolves in the Sawtooths (pdf) 4/2/03.] Clients:  Idaho Conservation League, Western Watersheds Project

Clearwater National Forest:  We have blocked large timber sales to protect old growth habitat and water quality in the Clearwater basin since late 1990’s, and continue to oppose irresponsible large new projects. Clients: Idaho Conservation League, The Wilderness Society, Friends of the Clearwater, others

Selkirk Mountains:  We seek to protect woodland caribou and grizzly bear populations in the Selkirk Mountains, using the Endangered Species Act to improve management of state and private lands. Clients:  Idaho Conservation League, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife

Upper Salmon Basin Diversions:  We have challenged over 1000 diversions on public lands in the Upper Salmon River basin, which dewater streams and harm salmon, steelhead and bull trout.  Through settlements, the Forest Service is now studying the impacts of diversions on its lands; while we litigate BLM’s responsibility to do the same. [Read our opening brief in our library].  We won our case against BLM in district court and now BLM has appealed that decision to the court of appeals. In other cases, private diverters have installed fish screens, modernized diversions, and excluded livestock from streams in response to our ESA litigation.  In November 2002, one diverter who refused to cooperate was held by the federal court to be violating the “take” prohibition of the ESA, and ordered to stop diverting – the first use of the ESA to stop private diversions in the West. [Read the related Court Order in our library.]   Clients:  Western Watersheds Project, Committee for the High Desert

Salmon Challis Grazing:  This litigation challenges agency mismanagement on various grazing allotments across BLM and National Forest lands in the Upper River basin in east-central Idaho.  Client:  Western Watersheds Project.   Spud and Marco Creek Complaint. 6/30/04 (pdf)

Mining in Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness:  We are vigorously opposing efforts to re-open and expand mothballed gold mines within Idaho’s flagship Wilderness, through agency appeals and federal court litigation.  Client: Idaho Conservation League