Western Watersheds Project has established itself as an “interested public” on hundreds of grazing allotments on Bureau of Land Management lands in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, and California amounting to over 22,000,000 acres. With this legal status under the new BLM regulations in effect since August 1995, WWP is in a position to protest and appeal all decisions on these BLM allotments, across Forest Service allotments, and other land use agencies which do not adequately take into account recreational, hunting, fishing, wildlife, watershed, and water quality values.
Interested Public is a legal term in the BLM regulations which means any person or organization which has expressed an interest in writing in being kept informed about the management of one or more grazing allotments on BLM lands. The BLM is obligated to consult “interested publics” before issuing any grazing decision.”Interested publics” can also protest and appeal BLM grazing decisions to the Office of Hearings and Appeals of the Interior Department. WWP is currently an “interested public” on over 1000 allotments in 5 states.
WWP’s scope of influence assures the agility and readiness necessasry to promote recreational, hunting, fishing, wildlife, watershed, and water quality values across the west.
As we grow, WWP will be initiating water quality monitoring on streams across this region, as well as monitoring of compliance with grazing management plans where they exist.
When our data shows failure to meet water quality standards or existing management requirements, we will bring it to the attention of the agency responsible; and if they choose not to act, we will not hesitate to take legal action, if possible, to change their minds.
In addition, WWP is employing monitors to photograph and document non-compliance with management plans on selected grazing allotments 5 states.
Wish us good luck!
Current updates and archived reports of our findings are available in the Reports Archive.
