public lands

Conservation Groups File Appeal to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine
June 8, 2026

Conservation Groups File Appeal to Halt Construction of Stibnite Gold Mine

Advocates for the West and a coalition of local and national conservation organizations on Friday filed an appeal to halt Perpetua Resources’ construction of the Stibnite Gold Project in the headwaters of Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River. Perpetua has insisted on moving forward with “full construction” despite the conservation groups’ pending lawsuit that seeks […]

Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s Gutting of Greater Sage Grouse Protections in Nine Western States
March 2, 2026

Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s Gutting of Greater Sage Grouse Protections in Nine Western States

GREAT FALLS, Mont.— Conservation groups sued the Bureau of Land Management today to challenge its final plans governing greater sage grouse management across 71 million acres of federal public lands in nine Western states. Today’s lawsuit covers the dwindling species’ habitat in Montana, Idaho, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada, California, Utah and Wyoming. The Trump administration finalized […]

2025 Annual Report
February 19, 2026

2025 Annual Report

Get the latest on the work we’re doing to protect the West’s public lands, water, fish, and wildlife! Read our 2025 Annual Report here.

Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Highway Through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
February 4, 2026

Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Highway Through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

Today, Advocates for the West and a coalition of six local, Utah-based, and national conservation organizations sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for illegally reapproving the four-lane Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, Utah. Conservation groups filed the lawsuit after receiving […]

BLM Re-Approves Highway Through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Abandons Own Scientific Findings
January 21, 2026

BLM Re-Approves Highway Through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Abandons Own Scientific Findings

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) re-approved a proposal from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), at the behest of Washington County, for the construction of a four-lane Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, Utah. The decision reverses a December 2024 rejection of the same proposal by the […]

From MOONSHADOWS, By Julie Weston
December 18, 2025

From MOONSHADOWS, By Julie Weston

The literary excerpt contained below was graciously shared by our longtime friend and supporter Julie Weston (pictured at right). Julie grew up in Idaho and practiced law for many years in Seattle, Washington. Her book, The Good Times Are All Gone Now: Life, Death and Rebirth in an Idaho Mining Town (University of Oklahoma Press, 2009), won […]

Lawsuit Prompts Court to Require Reconsideration of Livestock Grazing at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
December 17, 2025

Lawsuit Prompts Court to Require Reconsideration of Livestock Grazing at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

A Montana federal court judge issued a ruling this week granting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan to reevaluate its determination justifying livestock grazing at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana’s Centennial Valley, to reconsider its grazing permit approach, and to reevaluate the environmental impacts of commercial cattle grazing at the Refuge. […]

2025 Advocates for the West Victories
December 3, 2025

2025 Advocates for the West Victories

Sage-grouse and the Sagebrush Sea We won a significant victory in our sweeping case challenging thousands of oil and gas leases in sage-grouse habitats. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the first Trump administration illegally approved hundreds of oil and gas leases on public lands in “Phase One” of our […]

Conservation groups warn reckless CRA use has thrown public lands management into question
November 19, 2025

Conservation groups warn reckless CRA use has thrown public lands management into question

Advocates for the West and five of our conservation partner organizations sent a letter to the Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), warning that at least 5,033 oil and gas leases—covering nearly 4 million acres—may now be legally invalid. The letter asks the agency to halt all new leasing and permitting until […]

10-22-25 Voices for the West: Public Lands Livestock Grazing in an Era of Environmental Rollbacks
October 22, 2025

10-22-25 Voices for the West: Public Lands Livestock Grazing in an Era of Environmental Rollbacks

We’re joined by Mac Lacy, Senior Attorney at Oregon Natural Desert Association; Paul Ruprecht, Nevada Director for Western Watersheds Project; and Laurie Rule, Senior Attorney at Advocates for the West. The panel discusses how conservationists can best advocate for protecting our public lands from harm caused by livestock grazing in light of recent regulatory rollbacks […]