The confluence of the South Fork and East Forks of the Owyhee River in Idaho.

The Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands, which extend across the corners of Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, cover more than 3 million acres and comprise the largest unprotected roadless area in the lower 48 states. This expanse of high desert is a mosaic of narrow, sheer-walled rhyolite/basalt canyons and rolling uplands interspersed by playas, lava fields, cinder cones and spires. The region contains some of the last, best examples of high elevation sagebrush and grassland habitats in the continental United States as well as a broad array of sensitive wildlife species including bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, pygmy rabbit, sage grouse, redband trout, and many other globally rare and endemic plant and animal communities. In addition to the region’s rich biological diversity, it also encompasses the richest concentration of archeological sites in Idaho with over 2,800 sites identified by the Bureau of Land Management.

Grazing impacts on the South Fork of the Owyhee in Nevada.

The region’s remoteness not only defines its character, but unfortunately has also made it vulnerable to external threats. Conservation Geography has been working with a coalition of environmental groups for over a decade to minimize and mitigate many of these impacts. Initially these efforts were focused on opposition to the development of an air force bombing range. Although the range was ultimately built, after four proposals spread over nearly a decade, the scale of the project was significantly reduced and the site was taken out of the heart of the Canyonlands and moved to the eastern edge of the region. Now, efforts are focused on grazing impacts and off-road vehicle use which has exploded in the area. Throughout these defensive efforts, the coalition has also maintained an offensive strategy seeking permanent protection of this critical landscape. This was nearly accomplished in the final hours of the Clinton administration. Although we fell short of the target, President Clinton specifically named the Owyhee Canyonlands, along with the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, as two of the critical places still left to be protected.