The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to protecting Idaho's environment. "The ICL preserves Idaho's clean water, wilderness and quality of life through citizen action, public education, and professional advocacy." [1] The Idaho Conservation League devotes the majority of its funding to conservation efforts. 80% of ICL's budget goes directly to programs aimed at protecting clean water, clean air, and Idaho's wild landscapes. [1]
Several of their main achievements since then can be seen below. [2]
One of the main issues that the Idaho Conservation League focuses on is protecting water quality; ICL has worked to protect watersheds all over the state from mining pollution. In Southwest Idaho, the Boise River is the primary source of drinking water for thousands of people and ICL has worked to protect this water source from potential mining contamination. [3] To protect the Boise River, ICL is appealing a decision made by the Forest Service to allow a mining company to begin exploration in the Boise National Forest near the river's headwaters. [3] In East Idaho ICL worked with Monsanto, a phosphate mining company, to encourage Idaho to adopt stricter mercury regulation. [4] In North Idaho, the Idaho Conservation League has worked to clean up residual mining pollution in Lake Coeur d'Alene. [5]
Other threats from mining that ICL has worked to resolve are mercury contamination and acid mine drainage. [6] "It was ICL that succeeded in getting rules enacted that reduced the discharge of mercury from gold mines in the state of Nevada (a 50-percent decrease in airborne emissions) that poisoned and are still poisoning Idaho lakes and streams." [2]
In addition to protecting against mining contamination, Idaho Conservation League works to protect Idaho's ground water from hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as "fracking", a process used in natural gas extraction. When a natural gas company began exploration in western Idaho in 2011, ICL asked the Idaho oil and Gas Conservation Commission to prohibit carcinogenic chemicals and require companies to provide a bond protecting Idaho communities in the case of a fracking emergency. [7] ICL has one main goal in regards to fracking, that "Idaho has rules protective of the people's groundwater" that set limitations on the use of hazardous substances. [8]
Idaho Conservation League believes that there should be a balance when it comes to resource extraction that allows for both economic development and resource protection, to ensure that the health of Idaho families and Idaho's clean water is not jeopardized. [7]
One of Idaho Conservation League's most recent successes was the protection of the Owyhee Wilderness in Southwest Idaho as part of the Owyhee Initiative. [9] The Owyhee Wilderness, which was signed into law in 2009, is the first wilderness area to be designated in Idaho since the early 1980s. This designation will ensure that "517,000 acres of Wilderness and over 316 miles of rivers as Wild and Scenic Rivers will be protected in perpetuity for future generations," and public accessibility to these areas will increase from the creation of seven new public right of ways. [10]
Idaho Conservation League also works all across Idaho to protect the state's wild landscapes. In South Idaho, ICL is working to prevent a new wind farm development at China Mountain. Although ICL supports renewable energies including wind and solar generation because they protect Idaho's clean air, China Mountain is home to an abundance of wildlife species including elk and sage grouse. ICL believes that new wind projects should not jeopardize intact wilderness lands or wildlife habitat and advocate for new projects to be places on lands already converted to human uses such as agricultural fields. [11]
In North-Central Idaho, ICL is working with a variety of stakeholders as part of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC). [12] The CBC "was established in 2008 to bring together representatives from business, conservation, government and tribal interests to resolve land management conflicts in the Clearwater Basin." [13] The group is currently working on an agreement that will protect the landscape while also allowing for recreation, rural economic development, and forest health and management. [14]
In Central Idaho, Idaho Conservation League is currently leading the effort to establish the Boulder White Clouds Wilderness by supporting the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA). [2] This bill, sponsored by Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, has been under consideration for several years and has been introduced to congress during each of Simpson's terms. The bill, once approved, would provide for "voluntary retirement of grazing allotments, grants for local community development, preservation of some off-road vehicle routes, and small land conveyances for local parks and other public works." [2]
In December 2023, Brad Smith was announced as the conservation director for ICL. [15]
In August 2020, Idaho Conservation League added new staff namely, Dainee Gibson and Katie Jay. [16]
The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About 1,080 miles (1,740 km) long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Beginning in Yellowstone National Park, western Wyoming, it flows across the arid Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, the rugged Hells Canyon on the borders of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and finally the rolling Palouse Hills of southeast Washington. It empties into the Columbia River just downstream from the Tri-Cities, Washington, in the southern Columbia Basin.
Owyhee County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,913. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Idaho, behind Idaho County.
Boise County is a rural mountain county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,610. The county seat is historic Idaho City, which is connected through a series of paved and unpaved roads to Lowman, Centerville, Placerville, Pioneerville, Star Ranch, Crouch, Garden Valley, and Horseshoe Bend.
The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in the United States. It is 280 miles (450 km) long. The river's drainage basin is 11,049 square miles (28,620 km2) in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin. The mean annual discharge is 995 cubic feet per second (28.2 m3/s), with a maximum of 50,000 cu ft/s (1,400 m3/s) recorded in 1993 and a minimum of 42 cu ft/s (1.2 m3/s) in 1954.
The Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness Area is a protected wilderness area in Idaho. It was created in 1980 by the United States Congress and renamed in 1984 as the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area in honor of U.S. Senator Frank Church.
The Treasure Valley is a valley in the western United States, primarily in southwestern Idaho, where the Payette, Boise, Weiser, Malheur, Owyhee rivers drain into the Snake River. It includes all the lowland areas from Vale in rural eastern Oregon to Boise, and is the most populated area in Idaho.
Boise National Forest is a National Forest covering 2,203,703 acres (8,918.07 km2) of the U.S. state of Idaho. Created on July 1, 1908, from part of Sawtooth National Forest, it is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as five units: the Cascade, Emmett, Idaho City, Lowman, and Mountain Home ranger districts.
The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas are managed by four federal land management agencies: the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
The Wilderness Society is an American non-profit land conservation organization that is dedicated to protecting natural areas and federal public lands in the United States. They advocate for the designation of federal wilderness areas and other protective designations, such as for national monuments. They support balanced uses of public lands, and advocate for federal politicians to enact various land conservation and balanced land use proposals. The Wilderness Society also engages in a number of ancillary activities, including education and outreach, and hosts one of the most valuable collections of Ansel Adams photographs at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.
WildEarth Guardians is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization best known for its decade-long legal action against the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which culminated in 2011 with the Fish and Wildlife Service agreeing to move forward with protection for more than 800 species under the Endangered Species Act.
Southwestern Idaho is a geographical term for the area along the U.S. state of Idaho's borders with Oregon and Nevada. It includes the populous areas of the Boise metropolitan area and the Treasure Valley.
The U.S. state of Idaho borders six other U.S. states and one Canadian province. The states of Washington and Oregon are to the west, Nevada and Utah are to the south, and Montana and Wyoming are to the east. Idaho also shares a short border with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is a land management law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The bill designates millions of acres in the US as protected and establishes a National Landscape Conservation System. It includes funding for programs, studies and other activities by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and in some cases bars further geothermal leasing, oil and gas leasing, and new mining patents on certain stretches of protected land.
The Bruneau – Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The wilderness area is named after and protects much of the Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers and their canyons. Whitewater rafting is a popular recreational activity in this wilderness area, which has rivers up to Class V. About 40 miles (64 km) of the Bruneau River and about 28.8 miles (46.3 km) of the Jarbidge River are classified as a wild river.
The Owyhee River Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The wilderness area is named after and protects the upper Owyhee River, its tributaries, and the surrounding desert canyon landscape. Whitewater rafting is a popular recreational activity in this wilderness area. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, it is the second-largest U.S. Wilderness Area that is not located within a National Forest, National Park, or National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM's Black Rock Desert Wilderness, located within Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, is larger. About 67.3 miles (108.3 km) of the Owyhee River is classified as a wild river.
The Wyoming Outdoor Council is the oldest independent, membership-based conservation organization in Wyoming, United States. Wyoming native Tom Bell founded the group in 1967, along with Carrol R. Noble, Margaret E. “Mardy” Murie, Dr. Harold McCracken, Ann Lindahl and others. The group was originally called the Wyoming Outdoor Coordinating Council.
The North Fork Owyhee Wilderness is on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The rivers within it offer whitewater rapids up to Class IV. The upper 20.8 miles (33.5 km) of the North Fork Owyhee River, from the Idaho–Oregon border to the upstream boundary of the wilderness, are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Of this total, 15.1 miles (24.3 km) are classified as wild and the remaining 5.7 miles (9.2 km) are classified "recreational".
The Big Jacks Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Little Jacks Creek Wilderness is on its northwest border. About 35 miles (56 km) of Big Jacks Creek is classified as a wild river.
The Little Jacks Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Big Jacks Creek Wilderness is on its southeast border. About 12.4 miles (20.0 km) of Little Jacks Creek is classified as a wild river.
The Snake River Alliance (SRA) is a non-profit organization which focuses on nuclear and clean energy issues in Idaho. They are a watchdog group working to "raise community awareness about the dangers of nuclear waste, weapons and power while working to identify and promote sustainable alternatives." The SRA does this through a number of different methods, including advocacy, collaboration, grassroots organizing, and education.