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Using this space to put together an article on the Idaho Conservation League

Their Mission
“The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) works to protect Idaho's environment.” The ICL consider themselves "Idaho’s voice for clean water, clean air, and wilderness — values that are the foundation to Idaho’s extraordinary quality of life."

Who They Are
The Idaho Conservation League is a non-profit organization devoted to protecting Idaho’s environment. As a 501C3 all donations are tax refundable and ICL relies on the support of foundations and supportive individuals for funding. The Idaho Conservation League to devotes the majority of its funding to conservation efforts. 80% of ICL’s budget goes directly to programs aimed at protecting clean water, clean air, and Idaho’s wild landscapes.

The ICL has 18 staff in 3 offices across the state and a diverse board of stakeholders interested in conservation. With approximately 20,000 supporters whom they represent at the Idaho Legislature, the Idaho Conservation League is Idaho’s leading voice for conservation.

Why They Were Founded
What is now the Idaho Conservation League originally began as a series of casual lunches where people could meet to discuss environmental issues. After a discussion about how Idaho needed an environmental legislative lobby group, three individuals – Ken Cameron, Ken Robinson, and Tom Davis founded the Idaho Conservation League and began putting together a diverse board of stakeholders. The ICL was founded in 1973 as a voice for conservation at the Idaho Statehouse they have engaged in every legislative session since. Over the years, ICL’s work has broadened to include various program areas including public lands and community conservation issues such as clean air and clean water. ICL works to ensure that families have safe and healthy places to live and recreate everyday.

What They Do
The Idaho Conservation League works to protect Idaho’s clean water, clean air, signature wildlife, and healthy landscapes. The ICL understands that Idaho has a long history of natural resource use such as logging and mining, which creates many jobs. ICL advocates for these activities to continue in a responsible manner that do not diminish the health of Idaho’s communities or opportunities for recreation and enjoyment of Idaho’s wild landscapes.

Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Conservation League has been Idaho’s voice for conservation at the Statehouse since they were founded in 1973 and lobbing the legislature on conservation issues continues to be one of ICL's most important activities. ICL has the only full-time conservation lobbyist in the Idaho Legislature, providing information to elected officials and helping to draft legislation in Idaho. When the legislature is in session, ICL sends out weekly updates to members, called Your Voice for Conservation, summing up the recent conservation developments at the Statehouse.

Key Successes
1970s to Present

•	Helped effect new rules nationally to deal with the problem of airborne mercury.

•	Helped move the Owyhee Canyon-lands wilderness bill through Congress, the first new wilderness designation for Idaho in 29 years

•	Passed Idaho's first countywide open space measure for Blaine County

•	Led a statewide ballot measure to defeat Proposition 2, a regulatory takings measure

•	Joined a diverse coalition to defeat the Sempra coal-fired power plant in Magic Valley

•	Championed the Boise Foothills Open Space Levy, which preserved Boise's spectacular natural setting for recreation and other human uses

•	Worked to make sure all Idahoans' concerns were heard as the state planned to manage wolf populations

•	Preserved the Owyhee Canyonlands prized wildlife habitat and solitude from plans to expand a bombing range

•	Protected Boise's popular Hulls Gulch from an unnecessary and destructive dam

•	Created an endowment that, by the end of the 1990s, was valued at over $1 million. For a permanent home for Idaho conservation, we purchased a historic home within walking distance to the Statehouse for our office

•	Preserved the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, a 2.3 million-acre wilderness paradise

•	Helped Idaho communities plan for prosperity and growth while maintaining their unique characters, through the Idaho Local Planning Act