What is the Owyhee Initiative Protecting?
The Owyhee is a high elevation desert defined by rivers and stunning canyons. Vast expenses of sagebrush and grasslands are linked by lush streams and meadows; providing an important home for sage grouse, antelope, songbirds, raptors and many other kinds of wildlife. Scores of rare plant species associated with scattered wetlands and dry, volcanic soils are found throughout the region. The unique combination of high desert and deep canyons provides critical habitat for California bighorn sheep, Columbia spotted frogs, loggerhead shrikes, spotted bats, ferruginous hawks, mountain quail and many other important and globally rare species.
The large blocks of undisturbed land in the region serve as habitat "anchors" for many of these species. Biologists believe that the good condition and undeveloped nature of much of this landscape will make the Owyhee, one of the most vital areas to wildlife in the future in the Columbia River Basin. According to recent scientific studies, Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Plan, the Owyhee country is also the only place in the entire Basin where sage grouse are expected to survive over the next 100 years. Protecting the landscape upon which these rare and vital species depend is a key component of the negotiations of the Owyhee Initiative.
One of the Owyhee Initiative's over-arching goals is to protect and safeguard the landscape for future generations. The work group members bring different perspectives and different priorities to achieve on-the-ground protections. Participants have identified diverse wildlife habitats, intact vegetative communities, spectacular views, vital river corridors and irreplaceable cultural resources. Protecting these areas is the backbone of a final agreement.
Wilderness designations and Wild and Scenic River designations, both by Acts of the U.S. Congress, are the strongest land and water protections in the nation, as well as the world. The Owyhee Initiative proposes to use the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic River Act to safeguard the best remaining habitats and the most important areas for wild recreation and scientific studies. Simply put, the initiative hopes to protect one of the most outstanding areas for hunting, fishing and rafting.
The proposal will protect nearly 400 miles of river corridors including vital low land riverbeds and spectacular canyon walls. In addition the initial proposal also protects close to 500,000 acres flatlands, low hills and moderate hill ideal habitat for sagebrush obligate species, like Sage grouse, Brewers sparrows and Pygmy rabbits. The end result of much of this work will ultimately protect an ecologically divers landscape of over 500,000 acres of wild landscape including the canyons themselves.
| Landforms | Acres in Proposed Wilderness Areas |
% of Proposed Wilderness Areas |
| Flatlands | 228,634.8 |
44.7 |
| Low Hills | 130,708.9 |
25.6 |
| Moderate Hills | 89,462.4 |
17.5 |
| Canyons/Extreme Slopes | 62,295.4 |
12.2 |
| Total | 511,101.5 |
100 |
Many of these areas are critical not only to wildlife but also for the people who
enjoy recreating in these areas. Hunters from around the west come to Big Jacks Creek, Little Jacks Creek and the Owyhee River tributaries in the heart of the Owyhee region every year to hunt for bighorn sheep, chukars and sage grouse. While hunting access will remain open, these areas will be protected once and for all, after the agreement is turned into law. The wilderness protections are essential to bighorn sheep. Equally important are areas like the Owyhee River, and the Bruneau River to the sport fishing community. Here again, these special fishing spots will be permanently protected once the initiative is made into a law. In addition to the work being done to safeguard resources for the sportsmen community -- rafters, hikers, backpackers, bird watchers, botanists, photographers and American families out for a weekend picnic will also have their special places protected as part of this effort.
A Good Owyhee Initiative Compromise
The Owyhee Initiative participants have identified close to 500,000 acres of wild lands that should be protected as wilderness. These include the grasslands of Dickshooter Ridge, the river bottoms of the Jarbridge and Owyhee rivers as well as Little Jacks and Battle creeks, the sagebrush plateau country on the Idaho and Oregon boarder and the habitat rich uplands of North Fork of the Owyhee, Pole Creek and Big Jacks Creek. Most of the vital habitat and truly wild areas in the Owyhee will be protected as part of the final agreement.For more information, feel free to contact any one of the people on our contact page.
