Protecting Land and Water in Idaho

Project Highlight: Achieving a Protection Milestone

The sweeping landscape the stretches from the Pioneer Mountains to the Craters of the Moon National Monument has been identified by TNC scientists as one of the more climate-resilient landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, and a newly secured conservation easement ensures its long-term preservation.

Recognizing the significance of this area in 2007, The Nature Conservancy and partners set an ambitious goal to conserve 100,000 acres of private land that provided vital connections to public lands. In 2025, TNC secured a conservation easement on a large 5,368-acre ranch that pushed us past that goal. But our work here is not done. We will continue supporting landowners and partners with stewardship and continued conservation.  

“We’re honored to work alongside landowners who choose to protect their land through voluntary conservation easements—preserving a legacy for their families, communities and the natural world,” says Land & Water Protection Program Manager Tess O’Sullivan.

Landowner Glenn Schumacher echoes that sentiment. “Linda and I would like to thank The Nature Conservancy for teaming up with us to protect these wide-open spaces for future generations,” he says. “We look forward to working with TNC to promote good land stewardship and wildlife protections while maintaining ranching traditions.”  

Every acre protected represents the promise of a healthy future for the people, plants and wildlife that live here—from safe migration across ancient routes and habitat preserved for at-risk species to ranching traditions carried forward.

Generations of family foresters, ranchers and farmers across Idaho have shared a relationship with the landscapes and fresh water on which their livelihoods depend. Conservation easements can provide a viable path for families to stay on the land where they live and work and ensure this opportunity is passed on to future generations.

Conservation easements are voluntary agreements that protect landscapes from development—keeping land in private hands and conserving critical habitat for fish and wildlife. Easements are created to meet the landowner’s goals for the property and protection of specific conservation values, such as wildlife habitat or critical migration corridors. Through easements, conserved lands support vital local economies, abundant recreational opportunities, and Idaho’s remarkable landscapes and wildlife habitat or critical migration routes.

Preserving habitat on private land also enhances the value of nearby public land by providing more diverse ecosystems and preventing fragmentation of habitat that couldn’t be supported on public lands alone.

Policy Highlight: Public Lands Win

Polling conducted in July 2025 revealed that 96% of Idaho voters, across political affiliations, believe public lands should remain in public hands. This overwhelming consensus reflects a deep-seated value: Public lands are central to Idaho’s identity, economy and way of life.

Thanks to an extraordinary wave of bipartisan support and grassroots action, Idahoans and Americans nationwide stood united in defense of public lands and helped defeat a federal proposal to sell up to 3.3 million acres of our public land.

TNC played a pivotal role in this victory, generating more than 100,000 messages to Congress. Outreach to Idaho Representative Simpson and Senators Crapo and Risch proved instrumental. Their opposition to the sell-off led to the withdrawal of the land sale provision from the budget bill. For now, public lands are staying in public hands.

But the threats remain. Proposals for federal land transfers to states, rollbacks to programs and staffing, diminished capacity for maintenance and upkeep, and renewed attempts to privatize public lands remain active concerns. Our External Affairs team continues in its efforts to meet these challenges and to ensure that the protection of Idaho’s public land is a top priority for policymakers.