The Owyhee Canyonlands —
Idaho's Rugged Southwest

If a filmmaker wanted to create an authentic Western, they would do no better than to train their cameras on the Owyhee Canyonlands.

Generations of Idahoans — seekers of solitude and lovers of freedom — know this is a special area. Its broad sage-lands and dramatic canyons are special to ranchers, hunters, hikers, rafters, and adventurers under the spell of this vast, quiet land and its hidden, secretive rivers.

The Idaho Conservation League works with local ranchers, hunters, and other outdoors-lovers to preserve the qualities that make this place unique.

The opportunity for solid conservation here is as vast as the landscape. It's just one place the Idaho Conservation League seeks balanced solutions.

Look at this gorgeous country for yourself - visit our gallery for interactive panoramic views.

A Chance for Consensus

For eight years the Idaho Conservation League has participated in a unique negotiation process called the Owyhee Initiative. Participants include other conservationists, ranchers, motorized recreationists, outfitters, Tribal governments, and Owyhee County leaders. Federal agencies and Idaho's congressional delegation have closely observed our deliberations.

In April 2004, Owyhee Initiative participants released a joint proposal to preserve Wilderness in Idaho's Owyhee Canyonlands. The proposal includes new Wilderness designations that total more than 500,000 acres, plus more than 300 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers. These areas include some of the West's most remarkable high desert ecosystems and the finest of the region's spectacular canyons.

In April of 2008 Senator Mike Crapo introduced the Owyhee Public Land Management Act in Congress. While the bill has continued to evolve, the substantive protections for these pristine wildlands remain firmly in place.

For the latest information, go to the Owyhee Initiative website at www.owyheeinitiative.org. or Senator Crapo's web site.

The Idaho Conservation League supports this proposal to protect the Owyhees so that Idahoans will always be able to share these kind of experiences:

  • Solitude in remote canyonlands broken by the sound of sandhill cranes passing right overhead.
  • Freedom to find remote campsites with shaded pools hosting frolicking river otters.
  • Adventure in hiking to canyon overlooks and scanning the canyon walls for raptor nests and bighorn sheep.

What's Next?

The diverse support for Wilderness shown in this process is unprecedented. The real possibility for lasting protections has Idahoans uniting and working collaboratively like never before.

The Idaho Conservation League's goal is Wilderness legislation that is consistent with existing Wilderness law and benefits the Owyhee Canyonlands, its residents, and all Americans.

The Owyhee Canyonlands: Bombs Away?

Before 1989, the Owyhees were a remote place known only to a few hearty hunters, cowboys, hikers, and boaters. Then the Air Force tried to expand a live bombing range to include the Owyhees. The idea The idea of dropping live bombs on this irreplaceable landscape didn't appeal to many Idahoans. The Idaho Conservation League played a lead role in finding a compromise that protected wildlife like bighorn sheep and allowed military training alternatives in more appropriate areas.

For more information contact John Robison or call 208.345.6942 x13.