By 1968, the Snake River Canyon south of Boise had been recognized as a unique ecosystem and critical nesting ground for birds of prey. Most of the area was managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Through the initiative of Morley Nelson, a retired Bureau of Land Management guide, the agency created the Snake River Birds of Prey Study Area. Research conducted by the Bureau of Land Management and independent scientists determined that more than 500,000 acres of sagebrush and canyon land were critical to sustaining the birds of prey population. The Bureau of Land Management submitted a management plan and proposed legislation to Interior Secretary Cecil D. Adrus in 1978, and Secretary Andrus signed the order establishing the Snake River Birds of Prey Area in 1980. Congress formally designated the unique landscape a National Conservation Area in 1993.