Sarah is a staff attorney in Advocates for the West‘s Boise office. Her practice focuses on public lands issues throughout the West, including oil and gas development and conservation of the iconic greater sage-grouse. Sarah received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Michigan Journal of...| Advocates for the West
More than 250 million acres of U.S. public lands are authorized for commercial livestock grazing—a practice with profound implications for the health of native ecosystems and the viability of wildlife populations. Meanwhile, regulatory rollbacks under the current presidential administration further threaten habitat degradation and opportunities for public participation. Given these challenges, how can conservationists best... The post Voices for the West: Public Lands Livestock Grazing in a...| Advocates for the West
Conservation groups submitted comments today on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed changes to the greater sage-grouse management plans, lamenting the potential roll-backs from protections the 2024 plans would have afforded the imperiled bird. The new management schemes would significantly weaken the existing plans, which have already proven inadequate to slow the decline of the...| Advocates for the West
At Advocates for the West, we’re increasing our capacity to meet the moment. Join us in welcoming our newest Staff Attorney Margaret Parker, along with our fall 2025 law extern and intern. Welcome Margaret ParkerStaff Attorney Margaret (she/her) received her J.D. and Master of Public Policy from the University of California Berkeley School of Law... The post Join us in welcoming our new staff attorney, extern, and intern! appeared first on Advocates for the West.| Advocates for the West
We’re joined by Clatskanie, OR-area residents and farmers Tracy Prescott-MacGregor and Scott MacGregor, Columbia Riverkeeper Staff Attorney Audrey Leonard, and Advocates for the West Staff Attorney Andrew Missel to discuss the misguided NEXT refinery proposal in the Columbia River Estuary. The second largest of its kind in the nation, the NEXT refinery’s energy-intensive process to...| Advocates for the West
A federal judge in Oregon confirmed the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) legal duty to consider preventative measures—rather than a “spray first, ask questions later” approach—in its program allowing insecticide spraying to kill native grasshoppers and crickets on millions of acres in 17 western states. The Court’s rulings also require APHIS to be...| Advocates for the West
The Trump administration has quietly rendered “inactive” a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy directive to prioritize environmental monitoring and analysis of livestock grazing on public lands in sensitive habitats. The rescinded policy—Instruction Memorandum 2025-004—directed BLM field offices to complete long overdue National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews on grazing allotments within areas critical to...| Advocates for the West
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the “One Bill Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBA), ushering in sweeping spending cuts on social services to pay for huge tax cuts for billionaires and investments in border “security.” The bill guts clean energy tax credits, vehicle fuel efficiency standards, environmental protections, and pollution-reduction programs. Its rollbacks... The post A Big, Ugly Boost for the Oil and Gas Industry appeared first on Advocates for the West.| Advocates for the West
Today, Advocates for the West filed suit in Idaho state court representing the Idaho Conservation League (ICL) and Save the South Fork Salmon against the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for failing to protect public health in issuing an air quality permit to Perpetua Resources for the proposed Stibnite Gold Mine, an open-pit cyanide...| Advocates for the West
providing free legal services to conservation groups and concerned citizens to protect and preserve our open spaces and natural treasures – now, and into the future. Together, we win for the West.| Advocates for the West
Advocates for the West has a long track record of assisting our partners in sustaining healthy human, plant, and animal communities by increasing the legal capacity of conservation organizations and Tribes. We’re thrilled to further that commitment through a new partnership with Central Oregon LandWatch, whose mission is rooted in the idea that vibrant communities...| Advocates for the West
Advocates for the West and our partners filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service for its approval of a mine exploration project on public lands in the headwaters of the Boise River. The CuMo Mine Exploration Project threatens critical clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and the rare plant Sacajawea’s bitterroot. Despite overwhelming public opposition,...| Advocates for the West
