• Sierra Club

• Idaho Conservation League

• The Wilderness Society

• The Nature Conservancy

• Owyhee Cattlemen's Association

• Owyhee County

• Owyhee Soil Conservation District

• Borderlands Trust

• Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association

• People for the Owyhees

Two organizations and their supporters were excluded from participation. The organizations excluded are Western Watersheds Project (WWP) and The Committee for Idaho's High Desert (CIHD).

The reasons given for the Initiative are:

• Prevent future presidential action to reserve the Owyhee Canyon Lands as a national Monument.

• Eliminate the controversy that currently pervades BLM grazing and land management decisions.

• Guarantee the economic stability and viability of public land ranchers and the county.

It was late 2002 before much information was provided to some of the public concerning the work of the OIC. In May of 2002, the OIC provided the Lower Snake River District Resources Advisory Council with a briefing paper and attachments. The briefing paper discussed the initial organization, goals and objectives, and listed the goals as:

• "Goal: The goal is to develop and implement a landscape-scale program in Owyhee County that preserves the natural processes that create and maintain a functioning, un-fragmented landscape supporting and sustaining a flourishing community of human, plant and animal life, that provides for economic stability by preserving livestock grazing as an economically viable use, and that provides for the protection of cultural resources." (Proposal for Protection of Cultural Resources, and Achievement of Sound Landscape Ecosystem Management and Economic Stability in Owyhee County).

• Assure that all research, management and other actions are inclusive, community based and community supported programs.

• Preserve and protect the customs and culture, including cultural resources lying within the County.

• Recognize and protect private property rights and interests including water and access. Support and protect diverse economic interests and activities, including livestock grazing as an economically viable use.

• Complement and enhance County Land Use Planning.

• Base actions on sound science and monitoring.

• Protect the County tax base.

In December, 2002 Russ Heughins, president of the Idaho Bird Hunters, met with John McCarthy, a member of the OIC Working Group, to discuss access, roads and some general information on the OI. During the meeting John indicated he would like to meet with various sportsmen's organizations. Russ suggested holding a meeting in February (2002) because it is generally a slack time for hunters. Nothing materialized from this meeting and little or no information or contact took place after the meeting.

In February of this year, information regarding a proposal began circulating, mostly through discussions between individuals. As some details emerged the Idaho Bird Hunters (IBH) took look at the briefing paper presented to the LSRD RAC. IBH members became concerned about the loss of access and the creation of the OI Board of Directors, advisory council and scientific review team. Russ Heughins started attending meetings of the OI ORV subcommittee, and asked Steve Goddard to attend meetings of the OI Working Group. IBH marked a series of BLM maps indicating which roads were important to their members for access for hunting. On April 25th, the Ada County Fish and Game League (ACFGL) and IBH co-sponsored an informational meeting on the OI. John McCarthy briefed the members of both organizations on the probable components of the OI. He was aided in his presentation by Roger Singer, Sierra Club and Grant Simonds, Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association. Members vigorously expressed concern with the creation of oversight functions relating to BLM management of the public lands. On April 29th, John McCarthy emailed an update to all concerned parties updating the status of the OI. This email update briefly outlined where the OI Work Group was in shaping a final OI proposal. The document represents one of the first public statements describing the components of the OI, which are:

• Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers designations

• An OI board of directors, advisory council and scientific review team

• A conservation and Research Center in Owyhee County.

Following the April 25th meeting and the April 29th McCarthy email, the boards of directors of the IBH and ADFGL met and discussed the OI. In a joint letter to John McCarthy, dated June 16th, these organizations and the Idaho Wildlife Federation (IWF) stated their positions on the OI proposal as presented by representatives of the OI Work Group. The three organizations stated their concerns as:

• Access

• Closing of key river crossings

• OI board of directors, advisory council, scientific review team and conservation and research center

• Recommended further discussion in hopes of resolving issues

This letter preceded a June 19th meeting of conservation leaders convened by the conservation members of the OI.

At the June 19th conservation leaders meeting, the OI conservation representatives presented the components of the OI:

• A county appointed OI board of directors which will be the current OI members. This board, with from the advisory council, will perform oversight on the management of wilderness and non-wilderness public lands in Owyhee County. Thirty thousand acres would be non-grazing wilderness - 20,000 acres in the Dickshooter area (roughly the area between Battle Creek and Deep Creek).

• A twelve member advisory council who would be recommended by the OI board of directors and can be from diverse interests. Owyhee County can also nominate members. Prospective members will be voted on by the OI board of directors. Each prospective member will need eight votes to take a seat on the council. The advisory council would advise the OI board of directors, recommend and appoint members of the scientific review team (srt). The advisory council will likely ask the University of Idaho College of Range, Forestry and Wildlife to make the selection of SRT.

• A Science Review Team (SRT) whose members will be recommended by the Advisory Council and selected by the University of Idaho. The SRT would entertain challenges by members of the public, primarily public land ranchers, that question the science and methodology used by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in their public land management decisions and land use planning. SRT findings will be given to the advisory council who will pass the findings on to BLM as an advisory finding. BLM is not obligated to institute the findings. SRT work will conform to BLM's time frames for land management decisions.

• A conservation research and conservation center to be located in Owyhee County. The actual function is unclear at this time, ostensibly it will conduct research on noxious weeds, identify and support conservation projects and juniper eradication.

• Designate approximately 500,000 acres of wilderness in Owyhee County. Dickshooter (area between Battle Creek and Deep Creek consisting of 20,000 acres) country and Current Creek(eastside of the N. Fork of the Owyhee River, consisting of 10,000 acres) as non-grazing wilderness. Release of approximately 200,000 acres of Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) to non-wilderness management. Designate approximately 430 miles of rivers as wild and 53 miles as scenic with 1.5 miles as recreational. Grazing will be grand fathered in the wilderness legislation, including motorized access for grazing related activities.

• Off road vehicle (orv) management sketchy at the present time, but the concept is to enter into memorandum of agreements between Owyhee County and BLM to regulate orv use inside and outside wilderness areas.

The OI, with its components, will be funded by congressional appropriations from the U.S. Treasury. The OI Coalition will rely on tax payer dollars to implement the legislation, if the legislation is successful. To create non-grazing wilderness it will be necessary to buyout the AUMs for the allotments designated as non-grazing wilderness. This will be done primarily with taxpayer money or if possible private money.

A vigorous and wide ranging discussion ensued following the presentation, during a question and answer period. Dissatisfaction with the proposal quickly surfaced. Opposition was voiced about sacrificing existing WSAs, the establishment of an advisory council and SRT. Many conservation leaders felt this was nothing but a ploy by the county to gain local control of the federal public lands in the county. Also, they see such proposal as setting a undesirable precedent for the future management of the public lands in the state and nationally.

Two developments occurred following the conservation leaders meeting of June 19th. One development was meetings between John McCarthy and the ACFGL, IBH and IWF to further discuss the proposal, the other development was a flurry of emails from conservation leaders pressing their objections to the OI. The IBH, ACFGL and IWF remain firm in their opposition to the OI, based primarily on the provisions for an OI board of directors, advisory council, the SRT and the conservation/research center.

Continuing to press their objections, six of the conservation leaders sent a letter to the conservation representatives on the OI Coalition succinctly expressing their objections to the OI proposal. What follows is a summary of the conservation leaders letter and emails exchanged between OI proponents and opponents:

• Opposes the release of WSAs from interim management

• Special provisions or language in the legislation that departs from the standard management of wilderness areas.

• Special provisions or language that erodes the Wilderness Act and sets unacceptable precedents.

• Concerned proposed wilderness will end up as wilderness in name only.

• Construction of "range improvements" immediately adjacent to wilderness areas

• Strongly feel that current WSA management provides protection. Also feel current public land management, despite its shortcomings, is better than local control.

• Emphatically oppose the establishment of an OI board of directors, advisory council, SRT and conservation/research center. Conservation leaders firmly believe this will give Owyhee County de facto control of the public lands in the county.

• Adamantly oppose any consideration of land exchanges, especially to secure grazing permits. This is viewed as conferring the status of a right to grazing permits.

• Oppose having taxpayers foot the bill for all aspects of the OI proposal.

Early documents and discussions stated that the OI, at least in part, adopted the concepts of the Steens Mountain legislation. One of the emails circulating is from a member of the Steens Mountain Advisory Council, and he cautions everyone not to follow their example. His advice is based on his participation on the Steens Advisory Council. With the Steens, the council does not function as envisioned. A concern readily acknowledged by conservation leaders.

The proposed initiative now awaits the finalization of the proposal by the OI Work Group, acceptance by the OI Coalition and then presented to the Owyhee County commissioners for their approval. From there it goes to Senator Crapo's office to be put into a legislative package for introduction as a wilderness bill. If it makes it that far, anything could happen to it in either the Senate or the House or both. In June the Conservation members of the OI Work Group said this would occur in July, it did not happen. Now we are told early August or mid-August. Early August has passed and mid-August close at hand and still no further word.

This brief will be updated as information is available. The OI proposal is on the agenda for the BLM Lower Snake River District Resources Advisory Council's August meeting on August 26th. An agenda will be available soon. If you wish to attend or have a representative of your organization attend contact Russ Heughins by email at russheughins@msn.com or call him at 322-8645.

If you have any questions, you can contact either Russ Heughins at 322-8645 or Steve Goddard at 587-1027, who are reviewing and commenting on this issue on behalf of the Idaho Bird Hunters organization.

Copyright 2003 by Idaho Bird Hunters, Inc.
An affiliate of the Idaho Wildlife Federation