Our Mission
The Payette Endowment Lands Alliance (PELA) is a grassroots organization working to conserve and protect the State of Idaho endowment lands located in the McCall area and the North Fork Payette watershed for current and future generations, while acknowledging a fiduciary responsibility to preserve the Idaho Endowment Trust.
Our Vision
The Payette Endowment Lands Alliance (PELA) envisions a future where the McCall area endowment lands and their ecosystem are protected and enhanced in perpetuity.
Our Values
Land: The McCall area endowment lands are irreplaceable treasures, and their total intrinsic value cannot be calculated. They have the power to teach us, nurture us and strengthen our land ethic.
Access: Access to the endowment lands is woven into the fabric of the McCall area and community and should be preserved in perpetuity.
Environment: We embrace the diversity and vast interconnected web of life comprised in these lands and waters. As the world faces dire environmental challenges, heightened by climate chaos, we need to be vigilant and protective of what we still have.
Habitat: Biologically diverse forests and healthy natural resources provide robust habitat for fish and wildlife, including a myriad of game and nongame species native to Idaho.
Refuge: Nearby forests, clear waters, quiet places, and untouched natural vistas are essential to the wellbeing of our community, both for permanent residents and the many visitors who seek respite and renewal here.
Water Quality: The North Fork Payette watershed is critical to fish and wildlife habitat, irrigation, and recreational use. As the sole drinking water source for the City of McCall, it must be sustainably preserved. The State has duties to protect this watershed apart from its duties related to the endowment lands, including protecting McCall’s drinking water (as set forth in the Big Payette Lake Water Quality Act).
Indigenous Peoples: It is necessary to acknowledge the expropriation of indigenous land and the suffering it caused in any consideration of endowment lands and the wealth they generate. Further, it is the land ethic of the displaced tribes, focused on the intertwined relationship of humans with the Earth, that is critical in the management and protection of the endowment lands.
Education: We support public education and believe it should be well-funded. We recognize that the endowment lands provide revenue to support public education. In addition, access to the endowment lands and learning how to care for them are vital to a child’s education.
How We Work
We will find shared values and work cooperatively to create solutions. We believe for working relationships to be successful that honesty, transparency, inclusivity, and clear communication are critical.
