History

The Fund arose from an innovative settlement between Western Watersheds Project (WWP), a conservation organization working to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and litigation, and Ruby Pipeline LLC, (Ruby) a subsidiary of El Paso Corporation. 

Under the settlement, WWP agreed not to oppose or delay the Ruby Pipeline, a 680 mile underground pipeline project intended to bring natural gas produced in Wyoming and other Rocky Mountain states to Malin, Oregon for distribution to West Coast customers.  In exchange, Ruby agreed to pay $15 million over 10 years into an independent non-profit Fund to be used for voluntary conservation projects in sagebrush habitat.  The Fund was incorporated as an Idaho non-profit corporation on July 1, 2010, and is governed by a three person board of directors.