Friends of Idaho Watersheds Project

In a remarkable series of three unanimous decisions released on Friday, April 2, 1999, the Idaho Supreme Court struck down decisions by the Idaho Land Board.

The Court also declared Idaho Code 58-310B unconstitutional in overturning the Land Board's decision to deny IWP the right to compete at auction for expiring grazing leases on thousand of acres of Idaho public school endowment land in 1996.

The court then overturned the Board's decisions in similar applications by IWP for 1995 lease applications.  In both cases the court ordered that auctions be held!

Finally the Court issued a Writ of Prohibition overturning HSR-6 a constitutional amendment passed by Idaho voters in November, 1998.  IWP had petitioned for the Writ because imbedded in that amendment was a hidden change to the Constitution of Idaho which was designed to forever end any requirement for auctions for expiring leases on school endowment land.  The court agreed with IWP and blocked the amendment.  This is the first time since 1929 that an amendment to the Idaho Constitution already passed by vote of the people has been overturned!

This extraordinary triple victory for IWP after almost 6 years of fighting the Land Board is due in no small part to the excellent legal representation of Laird Lucas of the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies' Boise office, thank you, Laird!

This is a great day for IWP, for Idaho, for the environment, and for Idaho's school children with long term effects that will ripple across the west!