State v. United States

TROUT, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal by the State of Idaho and Heela Mining Company (Heela) from a Snake River Basin Adjudication district court judgment involving federal reserved water rights in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (Sawtooth NRA), which includes the Sawtooth Wilderness Area.

I

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In 1972, Congress passed legislation establishing the Sawtooth NRA “to assure the preservation and protection of the natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, and fish and wildlife values and provide for the enhancement of the recreational values associated therewith.”…