Western Lands

Update Western Lands Project

Seattle, Washington
Winter 2010 Research, Outreach, and Advocacy to Keep Public Lands Public Vol. 14, No. 2

Our Work Across the West & Beyond

W
estern Lands Project remains the only organization in the country whose mission is to track
and scrutinize any proposal that would put public land into private hands. Where alerted by
citizens, whistleblowers, or news coverage, we extend our reach across the U.S., wherever
our national public lands are threatened by privatization. Here’s the rundown on a few of
the projects we are working on now.

Boise, Idaho Aspen, Colorado

Arizona-based developer M3 Eagle is offering 12,000
acres of recreation land in the Boise Foothills to
the BLM in exchange for 975 acres of land near its
planned residential community on the Boise outskirts
and 75 parcels of public land comprising about 8500
acres in northern Idaho. M3 Eagle would sell the
8500 acres to the Idaho Forest Group, the state’s
largest lumber company. BLM’s Coeur d’Alene field
office has rejected this proposal several times because
it does not serve the public interest, so M3 Eagle is
currently seeking to make the deal through Congress.
In early October Janine was invited by the Pitkin
County, Colorado Board of Commissioners and the
Open Space and Trails Committee to participate in
a public forum on land exchanges. The County is
entertaining the prospect of establishing a policy on
land exchanges, particularly those proposed through
legislation. Some residents are feeling burned by
a land trade bill in the U.S. Congress that would
privatize some federal land in Pitkin County to
expand a landowner’s empire, while bringing private
land in a neighboring county into public ownership.

Continued next page 

We recently gained what we hope is our final

court victory against the Ray Mine land
exchange in Arizona, which would have
traded rare, perennial waters and wildlife
habitat on public land for expansion of an
open pit copper mine. In this ten-year fight we
have been represented by Roger Flynn of the
Western Mining Action Project.

Photo: Western Lands Project

—Continued from page 1
Salt Creek, Wyoming
The Muddy Mountain Land Exchange is
one of the most lopsided trade proposals
we’ve seen, in terms of the ratio of federal
to private land. Howell Petroleum
Corporation has offered 160 acres of land
it owns adjacent to BLM’s Environmental
Education Area on Muddy Mountain in
trade for about 3500 acres of public land
within the Salt Creek oil field.
Superior National Forest, Minnesota
The PolyMet Land Exchange is part of
the NorthMet Project, a proposed open
pit copper/nickel/cobalt/precious metals
mine, processing plant and tailings basin in
Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range northwest
of Duluth. The federal parcels Polymet
is seeking to acquire within the Superior
National Forest would make it easier for
the company to site the mine and allow
for later expansion. There are significant
negative impacts associated with this
project: it is feared that the proposed mine
would severely jeopardize water quality
throughout the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness and could diminish water
levels in the region. The EPA has chastised
the Forest Service for its shoddy initial
environmental analysis of the proposal.
The PolyMet mine jeopardizes water quality in
the beloved Boundary Waters Wilderness.
Western Lands Update 2 Winter 2010
Clearwater, Panhandle, & Nez Perce
forests, Idaho
The Upper Lochsa Land Exchange in
Idaho would exchange approximately
18,000 acres of federal land on the Palouse
Ranger District for about 40,000 acres of
checkerboard land in the upper Lochsa
River watershed. Publication of the Draft
EIS was delayed so that the Forest Service
could add a purchase alternative to the
analysis. This is a significant step forward,
as we have been working for 13 years to
encourage the agencies to include full or
partial purchase as an alternative in land
exchange proposals.
Palm Springs, California
We’re tracking a land exchange within
the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains
National Monument, between the BLM
and the Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
BLM and the Tribe manage “checkerboard”
lands within the monument under a
cooperative agreement that allows the two
entities to do land exchanges to consolidate
ownership. The Tribe would acquire 5,799
acres of public land and the public would
get 1,470 acres of tribal land. We respect
the moral and legal claims of Indian tribes,
but we don’t think the BLM went far
enough in explaining the public interest to
be served by the trade, nor to analyze the
possible development that could occur on
some of the lands going to the Tribe.
Mt. Hood, Oregon
We await the issuance of an environmental
impact statement for the Cooper Spur
land exchange, mandated through
legislation by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep.
Earl Blumenauer, both Oregon Democrats.
Western Lands Project submitted testimony
against the bill that included the land
trade, because the exchange was concocted
by private interests for their own benefit.
Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort would
unload an aging ski facility on the public
and in return get 160 acres of prime
developable real estate in the gateway
town of Government Camp; Hood River
Valley residents will be able to keep their
views of Cooper Spur unmarred by further
resort development. The US Forest Service
opposed the deal when it was brought to
the agency, so proponents got it put into a
large bill establishing new Wilderness and
other land use measures on Mt. Hood.
St. George, Utah
We have been keeping close watch on the
BLM field office in St. George, Utah. In the
BLM, each field office manages public land
in its jurisdiction according to a Resource
Management Plan (RMP), which is updated
approximately every ten years, and provides
the framework for how resources will be
used, as well as what lands may be “suitable
for disposal” by way of exchange or sale.
Normally, we do not monitor RMPs or
weigh in at the planning level because
we have our hands full simply tracking
individual projects. We are making an
exception to that rule this year in reviewing
a new RMP for St. George. Our motivation
stems from our having seen questionable
land deals and poor NEPA implementation
coming out of that office since 1997. The
establishment of a desert tortoise Habitat
Conservation Area nearby has made private
inholdings desirable for public ownership
and thus extremely valuable, spurring real-
estate speculation. In addition, a piece of
national legislation passed in 2009 aims to
facilitate more land trades and sales in the
area, so St. George will bear watching over
the long term.
Western Lands Update 3 Winter 2010
Tonto National Forest, Arizona
For several years, legislation has been
pending to effect a land exchange between
the Forest Service/ Interior Department
and Resolution Copper. The copper
company would receive 2,400 acres of
Tonto National Forest land, including an
area called Oak Flat, which received special
protection for its recreational value under
an Executive Order issued by President
Eisenhower in 1955.
Resolution Copper would conduct
drilling operations for copper extraction. Western Lands
In exchange for the Oak Flat parcel, it
would give the Forest Service and Interior
Project is on
about 5,400 acres of scattered parcels, Facebook!
including some important riparian areas Check us out &
along the San Pedro River. Western Lands
Project has opposed the bill through become a fan today.
several iterations because it circumvented
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
requirements and directed that the
exchange occur within a short deadline.
We also generally oppose land trades
going through legislation. In this case,
proponents pointed out that legislation was
necessary in order to override the Executive
Order, and because land exchanges
cannot be done administratively when two
departments (Agriculture and Interior)
are involved. Western Lands submitted
testimony against the bill several times,
most recently in 2009.
We suggested that if legislation were to be
proposed, it should merely authorize the
Forest Service to consider the exchange, and
proceed along the full administrative route.
Recently, Democrats in the House and
Senate drastically changed the language
of the bill, restoring full NEPA compliance
and leaving it to the discretion of the
Forest Service whether to complete the
exchange—essentially adopting the
approach we had favored. The fate of
the bill, which is part of a large omnibus,
will be decided within days or hours of
this writing. If the omnibus does not go
through, the new majority Republicans will
likely bring the bill back next year in one of
its earlier, worse forms.
Rick McGuire Recognized
We want to congratulate Western Lands Project member Rick
McGuire of Seattle, who recently received the Karen M. Fant
Founder’s Award from Washington Wilderness Coalition for
his years of citizen activism. Rick is legendary in the wilderness
and public lands community here, known for his work to
preserve Wild Sky Wilderness, the Pratt Valley, Boulder River,
and Middle Fork Snoqualmie, among other places. We at the
Project know him as an articulate, determined, and deeply
principled environmentalist. Rick deserves our gratitude and
this recognition.

Photo: Tom Hammond

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Western Lands Update 4 Winter 2010

Update: Solar on Public Lands
A
s our readers are aware, we at Western
Lands have been deeply concerned
about Big Solar developments on
public land and the virtual privatization
that results from these projects. There are
currently more than 100 applications in the
queue for solar plants on federal land in
the desert Southwest, encompassing more
than a million acres. Fourteen “fast-track”
projects are rushing to get permits in order
to qualify for generous government grants
and loan guarantees available only this year.
During the summer of 2010, we, along with
several desert activists, engineers, biologists,
and energy wonks, formed a new coalition
called Solar Done Right. SDR is focused
on highlighting the biological richness
of our desert ecosystems, the irreversible
damage that industrial-scale solar will bring
to these public lands, and the multifaceted
superiority of Distributed Generation
(DG)—small-scale, point-of-use solar energy
installations in the built environment.
Janine with Chris Clarke of the
Desert Protective Council and Laura
Cunningham of Basin and Range
Watch, at Camp Ivanpah.
Photo: Linda Campbell
Western Lands Update 5 Winter 2010
With special funding from a public lands
benefactress, four members of Solar
Done Right, including Janine, traveled to
Washington, D.C. in September to meet
with congressional staff and members. Our
goal was to educate them about the impacts
of Big Solar and the growing efficacy and
cost-effectiveness of DG.
On the way to D.C., several of us met
in California’s Ivanpah Valley for an
encampment at the site of the Ivanpah
Solar Electricity Generating Station, the first
project approved by the Interior Secretary
under a fast-track process. Our purpose
was to draw attention to the issue, and we To find out more about
received coverage both on National Public
Radio and in the Las Vegas Review Journal.
the issue visit…
solardoneright.org
From late September to this writing,
basinandrangewatch.org
Secretary Salazar has approved 5 fast-track
projects in California and 2 in Nevada, with faultline.org
a combined footprint of just under 34,000
dpcinc.org
acres.
And in Washington, D.C., four days
later. Not pictured is solar engineer and
lobby team member Bill Powers.
Photo: Bill Powers
We couldn’t do it without you… & you… & you
When people first learn about Western
Lands Project, they are impressed by our
big impact on public lands in spite of our
small staff and our modest budget. And
then they want to know how we do it. The
answer is simple: you, our members, make
it all possible.
Your financial support, enthusiasm, and
watchful eye over local public lands allow
us to have an impact that far outweighs our
trim operations. Western Lands Project is
so much more than just our small Seattle
office and tiny staff– it’s a wide network of
almost 1,000 public land activists spread
across 41 states plus DC, all working
together to protect our country’s forests,
open spaces, deserts, and grasslands.
Because you’re such a big part of Western
Lands Project, we’d like to keep you in the
loop about how we’re doing financially.
The snapshot below shows this year’s
income and expenses, so far. 2010 was a
tough year for us, as it was for many of
you. The lingering recession forced two
of our longtime foundation supporters to
pull or phase out their funding and many
individual donors just weren’t able to
give like they used to. In response, we’ve
trimmed our spending down and stayed
under our already low budget.
But that doesn’t mean we backed down
from fighting public land privatization! In
fact, as you can tell from this newsletter,
we’ve been as busy as ever. From ongoing
Western Lands Update 6 Winter 2010
litigation against an open-pit mine that
started ten years ago to our newest initiative
keeping utility-scale solar development off
public lands, our docket continues to be
as diverse as the western landscape itself.
Thank you for being part of this important
work to keep public lands public.
If you haven’t already made your tax-
deductible contribution this year, we hope
you’ll consider supporting Western Lands
Project. Join us today to become a part of
this amazing group of public land activists.
Thank you members &
warm wishes for a wonderful 2011,
Western Lands Project
P.O. Box 95545
Seattle, WA 98145-2545
phone 206.325.3503
www.westernlands.org
Board of Directors
Erica Rosenberg, President,
Washington, DC
Marianne Dugan, Sec’y-Treasurer,
Eugene, OR
Sandra Perkins, Seattle, WA
Steve Gilbert, Helena, MT
David Gladstone, Snohomish, WA
Sandy Lonsdale, Moab, UT
Rebecca Rundquist, Portland, ME
Staff
Janine Blaeloch, Director
blaeloch@westernlands.org
Christopher Krupp
Staff Attorney
krupp@westernlands.org
Emily Crandall
Development Manager
crandall@westernlands.org
Thank you, wonderful donors!*
Dave & Alice Adams, Marlin Ard, Molly Attell, Bob & Laurel Ballou, Gregory
Bartha, John Bentley, Kitty Benzar, Janine Blaeloch, Andy & Jen Bowerman, Steve
Boyte, Martin Bunker, Bob Buselmeier, Linda Campbell, Mel & Sheila Canal,
Roald Cann, Rob & Joyce Castleberry, Holly Coccoli, Mark Collier, Emily & Drew

We  our
Crandall, Craig & Lynn Dible, Patricia Donovan, Linda Driskill, Sheila Dugan,
Mark & Lois Eagleton, George Early, Paul & Gladys Raye Eaton, Kevin Emmerich

monthly
& Laura Cunningham, Michael Frome & June Eastvold, Linda Garrison, Harrison
Grathwohl, Ellinor Green, Marshall & Elizabeth Hamilton, Charles E. Hancock,
Ann Harvey, Roger & Janice Inghram, Dave & Corey Jacobs, Dave Kaiser & Kristin
Temperly, Paul Kampmeier & Stacy Kihlstrom, Doug Kilgore & Ellie Belew, Thad
King, Keith Kopischke, Fayette Krause, Chris Krupp, Lisa Lefferts, Conway Leovy,
donors,
Mike Maloney, Ed Marston, Clyde & Joan McClelland, Ann McConnell, Rick
McGuire, Russell McMullen, John Middleton, Andrew Nelson & Teresa Ward, Rich
shown in
Nelson, George Nickas, Mary O’Brien, John & Rachael Osborn, John Osgood,
Debra Patla & Merlin Hare, Sandra Perkins & Jeffrey Ochsner, Scotty Phillips, bold.
Hank Rate, Anne Rickenbaugh, Roberta Roberts, Bill Rodgers, Beth Rogers,
Paul Rogland, Erica Rosenberg & Dan Sarewitz, Lin Rowland, Susan Saul, Justin Become one
Schmidt, Gordon Schochet, Mary Ann Schroeder, Paul Siegler, Sid Silliman, Jim
Sims, Don Steuter, Paul Strople, Paul Swetik, Steve Tempelman, Janet Torline,
Jeanne Turgeon, Utah Environmental Congress, Sally Vogel, Cathy Weeden, Nat &
today.
Jean White, Steve Wolper
* These lists include donations/grants received from June 2 to December 8, 2010. If your gift was
received after this date, you’ll be acknowledged in our next newsletter. We are grateful to have your
support.

We are grateful for the foundations & businesses supporting our work!
Anonymous Foundation
Aveda Earth Fund
Buffalo Exchange- Tokens for Bags Program
Conservation and Research Foundation
Deer Creek Foundation
Fund for Wild Nature
Horne Family Foundation
Lucky Seven Foundation
The Maki Foundation
New-Land Foundation
Weeden Foundation
The White Pine Fund

Western Lands Update 7 Winter 2010

 Western Lands Project NON-PROFIT ORG
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PO Box 95545 PAID
Seattle, WA 98145-2545 SEATTLE WA
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