Minidoka National Historic Site in Jerome, Idaho, is a site of conscience where 13,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

In 1942, the U.S. government violated the constitutional rights of 13,000 Japanese Americans when it forcibly removed them from Western U.S. states to remote south-central Idaho. Living in harsh and cramped conditions, surrounded by barbed wire, and guarded by military police, families attempted to lead daily lives that were as normal as possible.

Minidoka’s sweeping vistas and distant mountains continue to convey the isolation and remoteness that Japanese Americans experienced there. However, a wind project has been proposed next to Minidoka National Historic Site, potentially placing wind turbines within the historic footprint of the Minidoka camp.

If constructed as currently planned, the project could irrevocably change Minidoka’s landscape, potentially creating a visual wall of hundreds of wind towers, each taller than the Seattle Space Needle, with blades exceeding the wingspan of a Boeing 747. For this reason, Minidoka was listed on the National Trust’s America's 11 Most Endangered Places in 2022.

Public advocacy by supporters like you can make a difference, and Minidoka needs your voice now more than ever.

Sign your name to join the National Trust, Friends of Minidoka, and other partners in urging the Bureau of Land Management to suspend its review of the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project and instead engage in a public process to revise the Monument Resource Management Plan, in order to protect Minidoka and provide a more holistic approach to manage federal lands.