Western Watersheds Project
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Livestock grazing negatively impacts more public lands in the West than any other industry. Photo George Wuerhner Legislation that would have given the federal government authority to close grazing privileges on public lands was recently withdrawn. Grazing permit buyouts allow the federal government to close public lands to future livestock grazing permanently. New Mexico’s U.S.…
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Male sage grouse strut on a lek to lure females into breeding. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM One often doesn’t get good news, but this week, the U.S. District Court agreed with conservation groups that the Bi-State Sage Grouse was illegally removed from its listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Efforts to list sage…
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George Wuerthner and Jon Marvel in Hailey, Idaho. Western Watersheds Project is the only NGO whose mission is to educate the public about the numerous environmental impacts of livestock production and works to reduce livestock grazing on public lands. WWP is one of the most influential environmental groups because it successfully uses the courts…
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Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho. Photo George Wuerthner Though most conservation groups focus on federal lands, a neglected area of concern are state properties. Throughout the West, most of these lands are either leased for timber cutting or livestock grazing. Although there are limited ways that conservation groups can influence state management (or lack thereof) of…
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By Laura Cunningham, California Director Western Watersheds Project An environmentally harmful bill is swiftly moving through the House of Representatives. HR 6687 would change the enabling legislation of Point Reyes National Seashore to extend the leases of commercial for-profit dairies and ranches, with no environmental review of cattle grazing impacts. The bill, introduced by Jared…
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HAILEY, Idaho – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program – which kills thousands of predators across the country annually – announced today it has abandoned use of M-44 cyanide bombs in Idaho in response to a petition filed by 19 conservation and wildlife organizations two weeks ago. In a letter transmitted to conservation…
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Hailey, IDAHO – Over two years after alleging that Western Watersheds Project trespassed on private property in order to collect water quality data on public lands, Wyoming ranchers dropped their lawsuit against the conservation group upon reaching a settlement that yields no new restrictions on the organization’s efforts to protect clean water on public lands. “This suit was…
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Summer in Arizona reminds us all of the area’s most precious habitat: riparian forests that provide cool, canopied respite from the blazing sun. The cool, clear waters and the shade trees are valuable not just for humans looking for a break from the desert glare, but for the unique and special wildlife species that call…
