Idaho Watersheds Project becomes Western Watersheds Project
WWP Online Messenger #1
On February 9, 2001, The Board of Directors of Idaho Watersheds Project adopted a change in the name of our organization to Western Watersheds Project (WWP). The Board also adopted a new mission statement to reflect the change in geographic emphasis of WWP: "Working to protect and restore Western watersheds by educational outreach, public policy initiatives, litigation, and by ending incompatible uses of public lands." The first initiative under the new mission statement is to end public lands ranching.
This change is a reflection of the public lands work WWP has taken on in states outside Idaho as well as a broader west wide focus on public policy related to the use of public lands. As part of these efforts WWP is entering into long-term partnerships with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and with Willow Creek Ecology in Utah, Sinapu in Colorado, the Gallatin Wildlife Association in Montana, and the Sagebrush Sea Alliance made up of several groups in Nevada to influence and litigate the management of public lands ranching in those states. WWP is also assisting the Utah Environmental Congress in their Utah State School Trust Land lease acquisition initiative.
WWP is also joining with several western regional groups including the Oregon Natural Desert Association of Bend, Oregon; Forest Guardians of Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Center for Biological Diversity of Tucson, Arizona; the Committee for Idaho's High Desert of Boise, Idaho; the American Lands Alliance of Washington, D.C, and Andy Kerr of Ashland, Oregon in a National Public Land Grazing Campaign to support federal legislation to permit the voluntary retirement of grazing permits with federal funding.
These initiatives along with our management of Greenfire Ranch on the East Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho and our ongoing litigation actions in three states carried out by Laird Lucas and the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies under the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the Idaho Constitution, and WWP's new sponsorship of the RangeNet.org web site of Larry Walker are a full plate of actions all of which are geared toward ending public lands ranching and recovering the health of all Western watersheds. Thanks to all our members for supporting this remarkable work.
Online News Briefs-
WWP Announces new web site and Email:
Please check out the brand new WWP web site is found at: http://www.westernwatersheds.org
The new email address is: wwp@westernwatersheds.org
The older IWP web site and email will continue to operate for approximately two months.
Idaho Land Board Steps Backwards One more Time:
On Tuesday March 13, 2001, the Idaho Land Board awarded the 5500 acre Robinson Hole school endowment land grazing lease to the low bidder, Pickett Ranch and Sheep Company who had bid $13,000 to WWP's $14,000 at the auction last October 3, 2000. According to the Idaho department of Lands staff report, WWP's proposal not to graze the lease for ten years would result in the probability of catastrophic wild fire, loss of plant vigor, and extra management costs to the State ! WWP intends to pursue court action to overturn this decision.