**OWYHEE PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT ACT: THE FACTS**

**[Background]{.underline}**

The Owyhee Public Lands Management Act, S. 2833, is a groundbreaking
proposal that seeks to ensure economic viability for the local community
and lasting protection for significant ecological areas in the
Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands, located in the southwestern corner of Idaho.

The foundation for the Owyhee Public Lands Management Act is a separate
document called the Owyhee Initiative (OI) Agreement, which is a
consensus agreement reached by a number of national, regional, and local
stakeholders to promote the ecological and economic health within
Idaho's Owyhee County. The Owyhee County Commissioners started the
Owyhee Initiative in 2001 as an attempt to develop a local vision for
the future of the landscape and the region, rather than having the
federal government determine the area's future. By inviting diverse
stakeholders---county officials, ranchers, hunters, outfitters,
conservationists, and motorized recreational users---to the table, the
County kicked off a consensus process that has risen above the polarized
public lands dynamic in the West. Conservationists saw this as an
opportunity to address long-standing public lands conflicts and protect
the spectacular resources of the Owyhee Canyonlands.

This non-traditional working group has sought and succeeded in building
relationships and understanding, maintaining a dialogue, and crafting a
balanced, realistic proposal for managing the Owyhee area in a way that
can benefit everyone. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) has lent his support to
this process, along with his promise to introduce legislation to codify
whatever agreement the Owyhee Initiative working group reaches. The
result is the Owyhee Public Lands Management Act 2008.

This fact sheet provides an overview of the benefits the Owyhee
Initiative legislation will provide to local constituencies, the County,
businesses, the landscape, and the general public.

**[The Benefits Of The Owyhee Public Lands Management Act\
]{.underline}**

-   Resolution of decades-old public lands conflicts and certainty for
    various user groups.

-   Better enforcement and prevention of indiscriminate
    off-road/off-trail travel by motorized vehicles.

-   Designation of over 517,000 acres of wilderness, including 55,000
    acres of cow-free wilderness.

-   Designation of nearly 315 miles of wild and scenic rivers.

-   Establishment of a coordinated Science Review to address management
    issues affecting public and private rangelands in Owyhee County.

-   Establishment of a Research and Conservation Center in Owyhee County
    for collaborative research projects.

-   Preservation of outstanding recreational opportunities.

**[What's Protected]{.underline}**

The Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands region is twice the scale of Yellowstone
National Park. It's a unique place and one of the last best examples of
arid sagebrush lands that once characterized the American West. In the
Owyhees, grassland plateaus and a "sagebrush sea" continue to cover the
land, which also include deep river canyons with sheer rock walls. The
open landscape and stunning scenery are just the tip of the iceberg,
however, as the ecological, scientific, and historical values of the
region are immeasurable, and the camping, hunting, fishing, and outdoor
recreation opportunities are unsurpassed.

The Canyonlands are home to numerous rare animal species, including sage
grouse, California bighorn sheep, Columbia spotted frogs, loggerhead
shrikes, spotted bats, red band trout, ferruginous hawks, mountain quail
and many other important and globally rare species. Additionally, scores
of rare plant species associated with scattered wetlands and dry,
volcanic soils are found throughout the region. The large blocks of
undisturbed land in the region serve as habitat \"anchors\" for many of
these species, including elk, pronghorn, and deer. Biologists believe
that the current undisturbed condition of the Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands
will make this region one of the most vital areas to wildlife in the
future of the Columbia River Basin.

**[The Immediate Threats]{.underline}**

Although much of the vast Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands remains
undeveloped, this once remote area is increasingly threatened by
exploding illegal off-road vehicle use, invasive species, and vandalism
of sacred Native American sites. In large part, the increasing threats
can be traced to growth in adjacent cities, particularly the Treasure
Valley region, just an hour and a half drive to the north.

The result of these threats is fragmentation of intact ecosystems due to
the creation of new, illegal cross-country trails, the spread of
invasive species that out-compete native plant systems, degraded soil
and water systems, and the loss of historical knowledge and sacred
artifacts.

**[Specific Components of the Owyhee Initiative Proposal]{.underline}**

***1.Federal and Local Coordination***

The Owyhee Public Lands Management Act directs the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) to coordinate with the State of Idaho, Owyhee County,
the Shoshone-Pauite Tribes, and to consult with the general public,
federal grazing permittees, state agencies and the University of Idaho
in the establishment of the Owyhee Science Review and the establishment
of a Research and Conservation Center in Owyhee County. The goal of the
science review is to conduct reviews of natural resource management
issues affecting public and private rangelands in Owyhee County. The
Research and Conservation Center would focus on collaborative research
projects.

Additionally, BLM would enter into agreements with the County regarding
search and rescue missions, transportation management plans, and law
enforcement needs on public and county lands. Such collaboration is good
for more efficient land management and the local economy.

***2. Designation of Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers***

Despite Idaho's rugged wildlands, spectacular vistas, and multitude of
outdoor recreational opportunities, no wilderness has been designated in
the state for almost 25 years. Under the proposal, more than 517,000
acres of federal land would be designated as wilderness and
approximately 315 miles of Idaho's rivers would be designated as Wild
and Scenic Rivers, preserving these wild river stretches for recreation
and scientific learning.

***3. Multiple-Use Management***

As part of the Owyhee negotiations, approximately 190,000 acres of BLM
land that is currently supposed to be managed in a manner that protects
its wilderness character---should Congress decide at some future point
to designate it as wilderness---would no longer need to be managed at
this standard. Instead, these areas would be subject to "soft release"
and open to multiple uses, including motorized recreational use, subject
to BLM's land use planning process.

***4. RS 2477 Rights-of-Way***

Many western counties and states are waging fierce battle with
conservation groups or private landowners over the validity of
rights-of-way claims, or RS 2477 claims, across federal lands or lands
that were once owned by the federal government. In addition to proving
costly for everyone involved, litigation and highly public RS 2477
controversies generate and prolong uncertainty regarding future land use
decisions. Under the Owyhee Initiative Agreement, upon which this
legislation is based, Owyhee County has agreed to relinquish all of its
RS 2477 rights-of-way claims in wilderness areas designated in the
Owyhee legislation.

***5. Travel Plans and Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Use***

Over the past several years, motorized vehicles have pushed farther into
the remote Owyhee Canyon country, off of legal existing trails and
creating routes that will last for decades in this dry environment and
facilitate the spread of non-native plant species. Almost 10,000 miles
of roads and motorized all-terrain vehicle routes now criss-cross Owyhee
County.

As part of the wilderness title, 200 miles of roads and routes within
the most sensitive areas and immediately adjacent to wilderness would no
longer be open to motorized use (with the exception of uses allowed
under the Wilderness Act of 1964, such as for emergency and
firefighting).

These painfully negotiated closures will protect the most deserving and
remote public lands in Owyhee County, keeping large expanses of
wildlands intact and free from fragmentation.

Equally important, this legislation secures permanent recreation access
for four-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles and all-terrain-vehicles
across a rugged, open, and challenging landscape. The back roads will
continue to provide motorized access to for paddlers, anglers, and
hunters alike as the majority of the acreage being proposed as
wilderness is within a half mile of an established road.

This provision also provides for a comprehensive Travel Management Plan
through the BLM and will help County law enforcement officials get a
handle on regulating illegal use.

***6. Private Land Acquisitions and Exchanges***

There are parcels of private land inholdings within the proposed
wilderness that current owners wish to either sell or trade for public
lands nearer their home cattle operations or other private lands. The
Owyhee Public Land Management Act authorizes these
exchanges/acquisitions and sets up an account where the funds from the
sale of public lands identified for disposal within the Boise District
of the BLM will be deposited to help facilitate the exchanges and
acquisitions.

**[Current Status Of The Owyhee Initiative]{.underline}**

The Owyhee Initiative participants reached agreement on a revised
proposal in March 2008. Sen. Crapo introduced legislation, The Owyhee
Public Lands Management Act (S. 2833) on April 9, 2008, which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. A hearing is
expected in the Committee on April 22, 2008.