Wildlife

This case challenges the U.S.

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Idaho Rivers United Complaint 3/10/11

Press Release Idaho Rivers United 3/10/11

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

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

Advocates for the West represents Valley Sun, LLC and Western Watersheds Project on their challenge to a decision by BLM to cancel the Greenfire Preserve's grazing permit due to reasons related to lack of grazing.  On June 11, 2010, an ALJ granted Valley Sun a stay of BLM's cancellation decision, citing potential harm identified by expert geologist Don Clarke, in contrast to only speculative harm raised by BLM. This results in the permit not being cancelled during the pendency of the appeal.

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ALJ stay decision

Reply brief

Appeal and petition for stay

President Clinton designated the 500,000-acre Sonoran Desert National Monument in 2001 to protect its outstanding wildlife, plant and other natural resources.  The Monument proclamation ordered BLM to halt livestock grazing on part of the Monument, and to study whether grazing would be compatible with the Monument purposes on the remainder.   Yet eight years later, BLM still has not made that compatability determination -- yet it still authorizes livestock grazing that independent scientists have shown to be harming wildlife, plants and&nbsp

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Sonoran Monument complaint

settlement agreement

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

summary judgment reply 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.