The Lava Lake Institute for Science & Conservation was established in 2004 by Kathleen and Brian Bean in order to advance conservation efforts in the Pioneers-Craters region. We hope you’ll learn more about the ways in which the Institute is promoting landscape scale conservation through science, education, and engagement by clicking the button below!

The Pioneers-Craters landscape of central Idaho is one of the jewels of North America’s natural heritage. Ranging from lava flows to river, foothill and mountain ecosystems, this landscape supports wild-ranging species such as pronghorn, sage grouse, mule deer, and elk, large carnivores including wolves, mountain lion, and black bears, and iconic species such as mountain goats and wolverine. This abundance of diversity of wildlife is supported by the landscape’s dramatic range of elevations (from 4,000 feet to 12,000 feet), free-flowing reaches of rivers and streams and their associated riparian habitats, rugged terrain that provides protective natural migration corridors for wildlife, and the unfragmented and undeveloped character of the land. While much of the landscape is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, private working ranchlands provide the crucial link between summer and winter ranges. The region is also home to long traditions of sheep and cattle grazing, farming, hunting, and backcountry recreation, making conservation a must for these cherished lands.