About the Pioneers Alliance

The Pioneers Alliance, a coalition of ranchers, conservationists, scientists, business people, and elected and agency officials, was formed in 2007 to protect the Pioneer Mountains and Craters of the Moon region of south-central Idaho.

The Lava Lake Institute is a participating member of this coalition.

The Pioneer Mountain - Craters of the Moon region is one of the West's most unspoiled landscapes. The region supports tremendous wildlife populations, large working farms and ranches, a wide diversity of ecosystem types, and provides access for hunting and recreation opportunities. Many of the pressures faced by other large landscapes in the West - such as energy development and residential development - have not yet been felt in the Pioneers - Craters landscape. This provides a remarkable opportunity to protect what we love about this place - the open spaces; the abundant wildlife; the access to the mountains, foothills, and desert; the agricultural way of life; and the small communities - and to build an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable future. Both private working lands and state and federal lands will play a crucial role in achieving these goals.

The Alliance’s work to date has included:

• a successful grassroots campaign in opposition to a proposed energy transmission corridor which ensured the withdrawal of the Arco-Carey route of the proposed Mountain State Transmission Intertie
• passage of a county-level measure that will provide funding for conservation in the region
• dialogue among local residents, elected and agency officials, and conservationists regarding a collective long-term vision for the landscape and appropriate strategies for achieving that vision
• a regional pronghorn migration study, conducted in collaboration with state agencies and area landowners, which has identified previously unrecognized migration routes
• pursuit of funding and agreements for permanent protection of critically important private lands

The Alliance’s key priorities over the next two years are to:

• engage a broad and diverse group of participants in developing a community-based vision for the landscape
• expand our scientific studies on pronghorn and other long-distance migratory species
• fund the development of compatible economic development projects for local communities

To date, support for this work has been provided by non-profit organizations, public agencies and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Alliance is a collaborative effort of existing organizations and individuals.

Participants

City of Carey residents
Local ranchers and landowners
Beartooth Capital Partners
Blaine County Board of Commissioners
Bureau of Land Management
City of Carey
Hall & Hall
Idaho Conservation League
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Idaho Department of Lands
Lava Lake Institute for Science and Conservation
National Park Service
Sawtooth National Forest
The Conservation Fund
The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife Conservation Society
Wood River Land Trust