1989 marks the year that the Forest Guardians began their dedicated work to defend and preserve threatened Southwestern wildlife and ecosystems. Their approach to conservation “features a potent combination of scientific analysis, strategic litigation to enforce existing environmental laws, and efforts to reform misguided public policies.” One of their primary concerns is public lands grazing. By themselves and in partnership with other conservation groups they repair damage done by years of improper grazing and poor land management. Their Stream Team and Watershed Guardians monitor, plant, and restore riparian areas in the Southwest, Southern Rockies, and the Southern Great Plains. They walk the talk.
First initiated by the Cherokee Nation in 1991, the Council now has 31 member tribes in Oklahoma and Texas that support a variety of training, monitoring, and assistance programs related to tribal environmental concerns.
WWP works to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife. Founded in 1993, their headquarters is based in Hailey, Idaho, with satellite offices in Utah and Montana. The WWP’s work has expanded to eight western states where they collaborate with several major western conservation groups such as Arizona’s Center For Biological Diversity. One of their prime interests is the participation in the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign which seeks to rest public lands from grazing through federal legislation focused on a voluntary federal grazing permit buyout program that will compensate ranchers. It’s an excellent website that features detailed scientific and legal information for all of their current issues.
