The Pahsimeroi Valley contains key habitat for three species of Endangered Species Act-listed fish: bull trout, chinook salmon, and steelhead. Yet BLM and Forest Service have not conducted monitoring and habitat improvements as required by their own ESA consultation, which is now very outdated. Their failure to meet fish habitat requirements or to consult over changed conditions violates the ESA, and perpetuates degraded habitat conditions in the Pahsimeroi.

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ESA Complaint

This action challenges Forest Service and BLM violations of the Endangered Species Act in failing to carry out consulations with US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries over impacts of livestock grazing, irrigation diversions, and other management actions upon salmon, steelhead and bull trout in the Lemhi River watershed of central Idaho.

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Lemhi ESA Complaint

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.

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Bighorn National Forest plan, opening brief

The US Forest Service and BLM each authorize dozens of irrigation diversions on public lands in the Upper Salmon basin of Idaho, which is critical habitat for threatened salmon, steelhead and bull trout.  These public lands diversions often are crude devices, lacking fish screens; and they harm the fish by dewatering streams, obstructing fish migration, and "entraining" fish into irrigation ditches. 

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WWP v. Matejko, 9th decision

We won an injunction in 2004 preventing the Clearwater National Forest from proceeding with two adjoining timber sales in the Lolo Creek watershed of central Idaho, to protect habitat of imperilled fish -- including salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. 

Even though the Forest Service developed the two sales -- called "White/White" and "Brick/Trout" -- at the same time and they would affect the same watershed, it refused to analyze their cumulative impacts.  After we won the injunction, the agency agreed to withdraw the sales. 

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Lolo injunction

Representing a broad coalition of national, state and local conservation groups, we brought this case in 1997 to stop Forest Service plans to log old growth forests in the Clearwater region of central Idaho -- including the headwaters of the Lochsa and North Fork Clearwater rivers.   The case focused on how logging and logging roads greatly increase landslide risks in the fragile soils of the area; and on the Forest service's over-logging of old growth habitat. 

Opening summary judgment brief filed June 25, 2010 in the Sawtooth--North Sheep case alleges that the Forest Service failed to take a "hard look" at sheep grazing impacts on several Sawtooth National Forest allotments, particularly on sensitive wildlife including fish and sage grouse.  Even though we won a prior court order requiring analysis of grazing impacts and better grazing management alternatives, the Forest Service did not heed those requirements, so we have to go back to court again!

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supp_comp.pdf

opening summary judgment brief

In response to our victory in the SNRA wolves case, Forest Service prepared an EIS for new grazing management on North Sheep, Smiley Creek, and other allotments in the Sawtooth National Forest of central Idaho, which are home to wolves, bighorn sheep, and endangered salmon and other fish.  These allotments are grazed by domestic sheep, which harm the streams, high altitude soils and vegetation, and cause conflicts with wolves.  The Court ruled for us that the Forest Service failed to study these impacts and alternatives adequately, as required by NEPA; and remanded for a new&

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North Sheep summary judgment decision

To protect wolves in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) of central Idaho, we won injunctive relief prohibiting the federal government from killing wolves after conflicts with domestic sheep and cattle grazing.   The Forest Service was also required to prepare environmental impact statements to analyze livetock grazing and explore new management alternatives to avoid conflicts with wolves.

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Sawtooth wolves summary judgment decision

Meadow Creek is a major tributary to the Selway River in central Idaho which is a candidate Wild and Scenic river; and it offers some of the best habitat anywhere for endangered salmon, steelhead and bull trout.  The Idaho conservation community has long fought to protect Meadow Creek from logging, roads, and other human impacts.