NEPA

Region 4 of the Forest Service has renewed grazing permits for hundreds of allotments without conducting any environmental analysis despite harm from grazing to many special resources. 

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Complaint

The Mono Basin Sage-Grouse isn't like other sage-grouse.  He struts on leks the same way sage-grouse accross the West have been doing for millenia, but the Mono Basin sage-grouse has unique genetic material that makes him uniquely important to the preservation of the species. 

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Bodie Hills Complaint

This case challenges a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to roundup and remove nearly all of the wild free-roaming horses within three horse areas in northeastern Nevada.  BLM claims that it needs to remove these horses because they are overgrazing the public lands, although BLM's own documents show that cows - and not wild horses - are causing the degradation of public lands. 

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Appeal, Statement of Reasons and Petition for Stay

This case challenges BLM decisions allowing grazing and construction of numerous livestock watering troughs and fences in the Grouse Creek, Meadow Creek, Trail Creek, and Rock Creek allotments, located in the Pahsimeroi watershed of central Idaho. 

Files: 

Opinion and Order (January 2011)

Reply Brief in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment (July 2010)

Opening Brief in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment (March 2010)

Complaint (June 2009)

Challis Area Map, courtesy of IDFG.

The Burnt Creek allotment is located in the Upper Pahsimeroi watershed, which is occupied by bull trout and sage grouse; and extends over much of the Burnt Creek Wilderness Study Area. 

Our prior litigation in 2002-03 forced BLM to close the allotment to grazing for 4 years, although repeated livestock "trespass" occurred during that time, continuing to harm bull trout habitat. 

Files: 

Burnt opinion, July 2010

Burnt reply brief - April, 2010

Burnt opening brief - March, 2010

Burnt Creek Complaint - July, 2009

Area map, courtesy of IDFG.

The Granger and Carter Lease allotments encompass 720,000 acres of prime sage grouse habitat in BLM's Kemmerer Field Office of southwestern Wyoming.

BLM previously approved oil and gas drilling on the Moxa Arch project here, which has already harmed the sage-grouse population.  And BLM is planning to expand the Moxa Arch field, which will further fragment the sagebrush habitat and displace sensitive species, including pygmy rabbit and sage-grouse.

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Kemmerer ALJ decision

The Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming has only a relic population of bighorn sheep, which die when they come into contact with domestic sheep grazing on the public lands.  Yet the Forest Service continues to authorize sheep grazing in bighorn habitat, and did not evaluate grazing alternatives to the status quo when it recently revised the Bighorn Forest Plan.

Files: 

Bighorn National Forest plan, opening brief

This administrative appeal before the Office of Hearings and Appeals in the Department of Interior challenged BLM's authorization of grazing on the Squaw Valley and Spanish Ranch allotments of northern Nevada, where Barrick Goldstrike -- a major gold mining company -- has purchased several ranches and is running livestock on them.  

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OHA Decision

This case challenged BLM's proposal to clearcut and mulch some 50 square miles of old growth pinyon-juniper forest around the Mt. Wilson area of central Nevada. 

BLM claimed that the logging was needed to reduce wildfire risks in the "urban/wildland interface," even though there is no urban area in this remote part of Nevada -- and even though its plans would actually increase fire risks by cutting down live trees and leaving their shredded remains on the ground.

The 70,000-acre Nickel Creek allotment has the most riparian habitat of any allotment in BLM's Owyhee Resource Area of southwestern Idaho.  BLM's 1997 grazing permit for the Nickel Creek allotment was held unlawful in the IWP v. Hahn litigation.  BLM determined in 2001 that grazing was violating all applicable rangeland health standards -- yet under pressure from the permittees, BLM issued a new 2003 permit that continued excessive livestock numbers.

Files: 

Nickel Creek ALJ decision