Our why

From the outset, the mission of the Sawtooth Society is to preserve, protect, and enhance the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Since 1997, this mission has been fulfilled through advocacy, enhancing the SNRA’s recreation facilities and services, facilitating stewardship of the SNRA, and coordinating volunteer programs.

Who we are

The Sawtooth Society was founded in 1997 by a group of dedicated supporters of the Sawtooth National Recreational Area (SNRA) – a majestic 756,000-acre expanse in Central Idaho that encompasses the Sawtooth and Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness areas.

What we do

At the time of the Sawtooth Society’s founding, a major threat had arisen in the Stanley Basin: a highly visible and unapproved 160-acre subdivision. The Society negotiated an end to the project and successfully urged Congress to appropriate $17 million to the U.S. Forest Service for the purchase of conservation easements protecting this land in perpetuity.

Now, our impact has turned to programs that support our mission to Preserve, Protect, and Enhance the Sawtooth National Recreation Area:

Trail Maintenance

Our dedicated and skilled crews provide over 150 miles of trail maintenance each year, digging ditches, brushing pathways, and removing hundreds of fallen trees.

Goat Plate Grants

Since 2001, The Sawtooth Society has recommended over $1.2m in SNRA Goat Plate Grants to other organizations working on the SNRA. These funds allow for trail improvements, ecological recovery, education, and maintaining the diversity of recreation found in the SNRA

Sawtooth Valley Wildland Fire Collaborative

The SVWFC provides real time updates for ongoing incidents in the SNRA, gathers local stakeholders for informational work sessions, and is working towards hazardous fuels reduction projects in the SNRA to create a more fire resilient landscape for residents and recreationalists in the SNRA