Greater Hells Canyon Council

Greater Hells Canyon Council is a grassroots conservation organization founded in 1967 (as Hells Canyon Preservation Council) to stop Hells Canyon and the Snake River from being dammed.  Not only did we stop the dam, our advocacy helped to create the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

Today, our work focuses on conserving the lands, waters, and wildlife across public and private lands in Northeast Oregon, Southeast Washington, and West Central Idaho, a place we refer to as the Greater Hells Canyon Region. We advocate for lasting protections on public lands, and we also cover such diverse issues as logging, grazing, recreation, mining, species protection and monitoring, wildlife connectivity, habitat improvements, and more. We work closely with Indigenous partners and coalitions with shared values across all of our efforts.