Members of the Owyhee Initiative Work Group praised the leadership of Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) last week after the introduction of the Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act (S. 3794). The Work Group, comprised of Idaho ranchers, conservationists, county commissioners and outfitters, pledged to do all they can to help the Senator pass the measure through Congress. The culmination of nearly five years of hard work by Senator Crapo's office and the 14 member Owyhee Initiative Work Group, the legislation would permanently protect 517,000 acres of Wilderness, safeguard almost 400 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers and ensure the future viability of ranching families by resolving longstanding Owyhee County public land management issues.
"This is truly a grassroots effort," said Fred Grant, Owyhee County spokesperson and co-Chair of the Owyhee Initiative. "These are Idaho issues, Idaho wildlands, Idaho rivers and Idaho ranch families and we've developed an Idaho solution that we now need Congress to help us enact. Senator Crapo and his staff have done a great job helping us get this far and while it's been a long time in the making it's the right solution for our people and places."
While there is real enthusiasm for this legislation, not all members of the Work Group supported all aspects of it. Some members disagreed with the terms of the compensation package.
"We felt that the appraisal process deviates too much from standard procedure," said Craig Gehrke. "However, from our perspective, the benefits of this package are enormous and while not perfect, we can not afford to miss this opportunity."
A unique and ambitious piece of legislation, the bill represents a hard, but fairly fought compromise on the part of all interests. The Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act, addresses a broad spectrum of Owyhee County public land issues, including:
- Designation of 517,000 acres of Wilderness, including 55,000 acres of Wilderness that will not be grazed by livestock.
- Designation of 384 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers.
- Resolution of decades-old public land conflicts through the use of selected land exchanges and grazing preferences compensation.
- Closure of 200 miles of motorized trails in candidate wilderness areas and initiation of a travel planning process to establish a designated system of motorized routes for all public lands in Owyhee County.
- Better regulation and enforcement of indiscriminate and illegal ORV use in Owyhee County.
- Increased protections for Shoshone-Paiute cultural sites and resources.
- A commitment to seek support for research and conservation projects in Owyhee County.
- Independent science review of data and information used in BLM decisions on livestock and other management issues by an independent, balanced panel of experts.
- Continued public access to special places including Crutchers Crossing and the main Owyhee River.
"Senator Crapo has been a true leader throughout this process and we are confident that he will guide this legislation through the complicated legislative process," said Lue Lunte of The Nature Conservancy. "This legislation is good for Idaho's remaining wild open spaces and our local communities. We are confident when people look at the whole package they will support it."
The Owyhee Canyonlands are unique among America's remaining wild places containing spectacular rivers and one-of-a-kind wilderness. Senator Crapo's bill will create the largest protected area in Idaho since the 1980 Frank Church/River of No Return Wilderness designation. In addition to the political and historical significance of this proposal, it protects critical habitat for a number of rare and endangered species including lambing areas for California bighorn sheep.
"Idaho has always cherished its wild country and this legislation will ensure that one of our most spectacular landscapes is protected forever," said John Robison with the Idaho Conservation League. "Vital habitat for some of the nation's rarest wildlife and plant species from bighorn sheep and sage grouse to big-eared bats will be protected."
Hand in hand with the protection of wilderness quality lands in the Owyhees is protection of the spectacular rivers that wind through the County. Total mileage of Wild and Scenic rivers in Idaho will increase by nearly two thirds. The legislation ensures water will stay in the basin safe from out of state diversion and restricts when and how water can be taken from designated streams.
"Spend just a day floating the rivers and streams of the Owyhee Canyonlands and you'll see what wild and scenic truly is," said Liz Paul, Campaign Coordinator with Idaho Rivers United. "These waters are the life blood of the Owyhee's - providing vital habitat for native redband trout, migratory birds, and river otters in addition to unsurpassed recreational opportunities. The Wild and Scenic designations in this bill will be the most significant river protections in the state's history."
"Owyhee County is not immune to the dramatic growth throughout southwestern Idaho," said Grant Simonds of the Idaho Outfitter and Guide Association. "Less than an hours drive from one of the West's fastest growing regions we must take steps now to protect our special lands and rural way of life."
"We all agree we must put an end to the growing network of illegal roads, diminished range lands, and trampled vegetation that result from unmanaged cross-country travel. We also agree that it's important to provide opportunities for appropriate recreational ORV use," said Inez Jaca, Owyhee County representative. "This bill gives us the opportunity to protect many critical areas and also focus on thoughtful management for hundreds of thousands of other acres. Without Senator Crapo's legislation the dissection of the Owyhee's would only get worse."
The Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act also helps protect native cultural sites, ensures access to public lands, and helps resolve long-standing livestock management issues.
"We have disagreed with one another for generations over the management and use of Owyhee public lands and this legislation and the relationships that have been developed through the Owyhee Initiative process go a long way towards resolving these issues," said Chad Gibson, Owyhee Cattlemens Association representative. "This proposal addresses our local ranching concerns and protects the region for generations to come."
The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permanently retire selected grazing allotments that are voluntarily relinquished by cattle ranchers and directs the federal government to compensate grazing permit holders. In some situations, ranchers are given the option to acquire alternative grazing land through the use of land exchanges.
Members of the Owyhee Initiative will travel to Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks to meet with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to help move the proposal forward.
"Simply put we just want to protect our rural way-of-life here in Owyhee County," said Fred Grant. "This proposal accomplishes just that. It protects the lands and resources we all care about, provides the ranching community with options and ensures that our children will be able to enjoy the Owyhee Canyons for years to come."
Background
The Owyhee Canyonlands are a vital part of America's heritage and the history of southern Idaho. Unique arrays of fossils are found here, from Saber-toothed Salmon to Pleistocene Wolverines and Scimitar-toothed Cats. The unique geology of the region includes deep gorges carved by the Owyhee, Bruneau and Jarbidge Rivers, creating one of the largest concentrations of exposed rhyolite canyons in the world. In this high, lonely desert, homesteaders scratched out a living or went bust while Native Americans clashed with the westward push of settlement along the Oregon Trail. Their stories are tied to this landscape. With nearly 3,000 cultural and historic sites, Owyhee County contains the richest concentration of archeological sites in Idaho.
More than three-quarters of the almost five million acres in Owyhee County are public land, administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Owyhee County is also home to ranchers and other rural residents whose communities face both ecological and economic challenges. Added to this mix is the on-going activity by the United States Air Force, which has used the area for a number of years for bombing practice and overflights because of its remoteness. These competing interests have squared off in a battle for the Owyhees that has failed to produce any lasting solutions or compromises for decades.
It was with this rich and troubled history in mind and the growing number of conflicts on public lands throughout Owyhee County that the Owyhee County Commissioners brought together ranchers, conservationists, county officials, recreationists, scientists, agency officials and others to form the Owyhee Initiative. A citizen-led effort to resolve some long-standing public land issues, the group has worked to develop a cooperative solution to many of the conflicts in the region including establishment of an ongoing, advisory Owyhee Initiative Board of Directors, establishment of an advisory Science Review Process, establishment of a Conservation and Research Center, designation of Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers, starting a recreation management plan on public lands for the whole county, and commitment to cultural and historic protection. These discussions resulted in the development of the Owyhee Initiative Agreement, which has become the basis for the new legislation introduced by Senator Mike Crapo.
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