Too Wild to Drill
Contents
Too Wild to Drill
- Introduction
4
- Places Protected
5
- Utah: Arches National Park
6
- Alaska: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
8
- New Mexico: Chaco Canyon
10
- Utah: Desolation Canyon
12
- Colorado: Greater Dinosaur Region
14
- Virginia: George Washington National Forest
16
- California: Los Padres National Forest
18
- Montana: North Fork of the Flathead River
20
- New Mexico: Otero Mesa
22
- Wyoming: The Red Desert
24
- Western Colorado: Thompson Divide
26
- Wyoming Range
28
3
W
hen Americans think of the
Great Outdoors, we think about
some of the wildest places in
the world. We envision towering trees,
rushing waterfalls, and jagged peaks. We
dream of meandering streams teeming
with fish, lush fields of wildflowers,
and scampering wildlife. What we
don’t envision are mazes of pipelines,
acre-wide well pads, and drilling rigs
dominating wild places.
Across the country, the drive
to develop and drill more
and more land is strong.
Technological advances, like
fracking, have opened up
previously unavailable oil
and gas deposits to drillers,
and have made names
like Bakken, Eagle Ford,
and Marcellus part of the
American lexicon.
Amidst this drive to drill,
companies are looking for
more places to put a well
pad, new roads to get the
drilling equipment in, and
new pipelines to get the oil
and gas out. There are public
lands where guided energy
development is appropriate,
places with fewer conflicts
with wildlife and recreational
users. But there are also
places where drilling does not belong. Places that
are homes for birds, elk, and caribou. Places where
fish swim in crystal-clear rivers, and families hike
and camp. Places that are Too Wild to Drill.
Wild Heritage
Americans value the untamed, open spaces of
wild public lands. In a recent poll, 65% of people
said protecting wildlands to make them available
for future generations is a very important priority
for lands managed by the federal government. In
the same poll, 76% of respondents agreed that
there are places that are too special to open to
oil and gas drilling.
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Millions of Americans enjoy the great outdoors
every year. These lands are places for escape,
adventure and recreation. Nearly half of all
Americans participated in outdoor activities like
hiking, camping, and wildlife watching in 2012.
These activities drive a powerful economic engine
as well – outdoor recreation contributes $646 billion
to the American economy annually, and supports
more than 6 million direct jobs.
Striking a Balance
To strike the right balance on our public lands, we
must put conservation on
equal ground with energy
development. Right now,
millions of acres of American
lands are already under lease
by the oil and gas industry.
Oil and gas companies
hold leases on more than
38 million acres of publicly
owned federal lands – an
area the size of the state of
Florida. In some of these
areas, energy development
proceeds with little
controversy because conflicts
are minimal.
But there are many places
where the natural benefits
of the area outweigh the
scant amounts of oil and gas
that could be found. They
aren’t household names like
Yellowstone or Yosemite –
yet. They are places that
have some of the most
spectacular views, are sources for critical drinking,
water supplies, and are home to wildlife like elk,
bears, and caribou.
This report highlights twelve such places, where the
natural values and wildness of these lands will be
treasured by future generations. These places are
too special to be opened to oil and gas drilling; too
important to be threatened by dusty roads, leaky
pipelines, and disruptive well pads.
The twelve wild places in this report deserve
protection for future generations and are too
special to develop – They are Too Wild to Drill.
The Wilderness Society
Places Protected:
T
he Wilderness Society has
successfully worked to protect
wild places and balance energy
development since 1935. Here are some
places that are too wild to drill, which
were highlighted in previous editions of
this report. Thanks to the work of The
Wilderness Society, other conservation
organizations, and most of all the local
people and groups who worked to save
these places, they are now protected for
future generations.
National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska
In 2012, the Department of Interior released a new
plan for managing the National Petroleum Reserve
– Alaska, in the American Arctic. This Reserve is
home to thousands of caribou, polar bears, and
millions of nesting birds.
Under this plan, more than 70% of accessible oil
will still be available for companies to drill for – but
at the same time, more than 11 million acres –
including 95% of the most critical wildlife habitat –
is being kept off limits to drilling, and the well pads,
roads, and pipelines that come with it. This is one of
the best and biggest examples of striking a balance
between conservation and energy development.
Carrizo Plain
California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument was
one of many wild areas threatened with oil and gas
drilling by the Bush administration. Drilling here
would have threatened more than a dozen of the
most endangered species in America, including
California condors. The Wilderness Society and
other organizations urged the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) to ensure exploration and
drilling, even on existing leases, did not harm this
valued place.
Management Plan that prioritized purchasing
private mineral rights within the monument,
to protect it from future harm. Carrizo Plain
National Monument and the wildlife that
live there are safe from the damage of both
seismic exploration and drilling.
Vermillion Basin
Another success story comes from Colorado’s
Vermillion Basin, more than 80,000 acres of
wide-open sagebrush vistas, desert canyons
and delicate multicolored badlands. Vermillion
Basin lies at the heart of a region that hosts
a wide diversity of wildlife ranging from big
game species such as pronghorn and mule
deer to majestic golden and bald eagles.
The area is also steeped in a rich cultural
history, as exemplified by Vermillion Canyon,
which showcases one of the most spectacular
collections of petroglyphs found in Colorado.
Vermillion Basin came under severe threat
under the Bush administration in 2007 when
a BLM draft resource management plan
proposed opening the entire pristine basin
to damaging activities including oil and gas
exploration. But in 2011 the BLM finalized a
plan to keep oil and gas development out of
Vermillion Basin for the next 15-20 years.
Rocky Mountain Front
Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front
was on the front lines of oil and
gas drilling for decades. However,
thanks to work with decision makers
and partners in the region, more
than 400,000 acres of wild lands
are permanently off limits to oil and
gas drilling.
There is still more work to be
done to protect the rest of the
Rocky Mountain Front, but for
now, some of the best wildlife
habitat in the lower 48 states is
protected – forever – from oil
and gas drilling.
Fortunately, the BLM recognized that Carrizo Plain’s
habitat needed to be protected from the pounding
and explosions used for seismic exploration, as
well as drilling, requiring in-depth environmental
analysis to ensure the monument’s resources were
not harmed. In 2010 the BLM released a Resource
Too Wild to Drill
5
I
n the heart of Utah’s red rock country,
Arches National Park is a wonderland
of literally mind-bending stone
formations. The Park has more than two
thousand natural stone arches, including
the iconic Delicate Arch, as well as
hundreds of other towering spires and
fins. Casual visitors can wander the park
and visit arches, hikers and backpackers
can explore its backcountry, and expert
climbers can tackle its rocks, all different
ways to experience this rugged and wild
country.
Utah: Arches National Park
Unfortunately, oil and gas companies see the area
around this impressive natural wonder as another
place to drill, which would harm the park and those
who want to experience it. A multi-year fight to
keep the industry from drilling on the doorstep of
Arches is not over yet.
Jim Gale, National Park Ranger
Jim Gale has spent the last 35 years working in
parks – across America and in other parts of the
world – creating educational materials, designing
visitor centers, and exploring their trails and wild
areas. Gale has now joined Park Rangers for Our
Lands to have a greater voice in protecting parks
and other natural areas from the damage of oil and
gas development.
“I have enjoyed the beauty and quiet of wild places
in our national parks, and I want future generations
to have this experience. We need to do everything
we can to make sure we create opportunities for
people to connect with nature. Our National Parks
protect America’s treasures, our natural and cultural
heritage, and we need to insure their protection
from the harm that comes from oil and gas drilling.
Arches National Park should not be surrounded by
drill rigs. It seems obvious but apparently we need
to keep reminding the oil and gas industry and the
federal government, so Park Rangers for Our Lands
will do just that.”
course people can explore its canyons, arches, and
beauty on their own by car, bike, horseback or foot.
Arches draws expert climbers and photographers,
and a host of international travelers. More than one
million people come to visit the park each year,
spending time in and around nearby Moab, as well
as many of the other nearby parks and towns, which
brings more than $100 million to the economy
each year. These visitors are coming (and staying)
to experience the park and its expanse of natural
beauty; they are not coming to experience a view
of oil and gas wells and unhealthy air from drilling.
Threats to Arches National Park
In late 2008, leases were proposed on the border of
Arches National Park. Only a successful lawsuit from
conservation groups, including The Wilderness
Society, stopped the Bureau of Land Management
from completing the sale. The travesty of this
lease sale led to significant reforms to the federal
onshore oil and gas leasing program, so that the
public (and the National Park Service) now has a
greater role and chance to weigh in before leases
are sold. The reforms also established the “master
leasing plan” program to address and resolve
conflicts with national parks and other important
resources, like wildlife habitat and wilderness
values, in advance of leasing and development. The
industry is still fighting for the chance to lease and
drill these lands. The agency and the public now
have a chance to make sure they don’t.
How to protect Arches National Park:
The Bureau of Land Management is now preparing
a master leasing plan to manage the areas around
Arches National Park, as well as Canyonlands
National Park. This plan must protect the areas
around these parks from leasing and drilling, and
consider the impacts of what drilling near the parks
would have on them.
Economic Benefits
There are ways for anyone and everyone to enjoy
Arches National Park. The National Park Service
leads tours, as do commercial outfitters, and of
6
The Wilderness Society
Too Wild to Drill
7
Alaska:
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
billion in economic activity – nearly one-fifth of
Alaska’s total gross domestic product. Outdoor
activity also provides jobs for 92,000 Alaskans worth
more than $2.6 billion in wages and salaries.
Without permanent protection for the coastal plain
of the Refuge, a vital part of the Alaskan economy
would be diminished forever.
Threats to Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge
F
ar to the north, above the Arctic
Circle, lies Alaska’s Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. Spanning the peaks
of the Brooks Range mountains to the
icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge is one of the
most pristine places in the world.
The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is the heart
of this unspoiled wilderness. Gray wolves and
arctic foxes patrol the tundra, and hundreds of
songbirds and waterfowl nest in the grassy hillocks.
Perhaps the real stars of the Arctic Refuge are the
thousands of Porcupine caribou that migrate to the
coastal plain every year to give birth to the next
generation of calves, though this area is also known
to be important habitat for polar bear dens and
other marine mammals, such as whales and seals,
that spend time in the refuge’s coastal lagoons and
along its barrier islands.
But the Arctic Refuge is at risk from oil companies
and their allies in Congress that want to open
8
the coastal plain to drilling straight through the
biological heart of the Refuge.
Robert Thompson — Activist
Robert Thompson is an Alaska Native activist
who lives in the village of Kaktovik within the
boundaries of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
After spending more than 20 years making his living
as a fur trapper near Alaska’s Lake Minchumina,
Thompson opened his business, Kaktovik Arctic
Adventures. He now acts as a guide, taking people
to view polar bears and raft down rivers in the
wildlands of the Arctic Refuge.
“My people, the Inupiat, have lived in this Arctic
region for thousands of years. Our culture is based
on hunting activities both on land and in the ocean.
Our culture depends on a clean environment. For
the offshore areas to be exploited for oil is not
acceptable to me. The fact that my people live here
is directly related to the marine environment. The
central part of our culture is the bowhead whale.
An oil spill could mean the end of the whales and
The Wilderness Society
our culture. It is my sincere belief that if people
know what is here, they will want to save it. I am
optimistic and do believe a movement is about to
happen, and people will do what is required so that
future generations will be able to enjoy the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge as we know it.”
Economic Benefits
Alaska’s wild lands are a major draw for outdoor
adventurers. Hunters and anglers experience worldclass fish and wildlife, and hikers and backpackers
can experience terrain that is nothing like what
they can find in the lower 48 states. Places like the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge might be remote,
but the untrammeled tundra is a draw for hearty
backpackers and hunters looking to experience the
wildest of Alaskan adventures. There are adventures
here that cannot be experienced anywhere else
in the world, such as camping among thousands
of caribou, or rafting down the Hula Hula river in
complete solitude.
Outdoor recreation in Alaska spurs more than $9.5
Too Wild to Drill
Proposals to open the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling go back decades – including
the high-stakes battle in Congress in the early
2000s. Just a few months into the 113th Congress,
three bills to open the coastal plain to oil drilling
have been introduced. Alaska’s governor, Sean
Parnell, has also offered up to $50 million to send
seismic testing equipment into the Arctic Refuge,
potentially disturbing polar bears and cubs in their
winter dens.
The native Gwich’in people that live near the Arctic
Refuge depend on these caribou – in many cases,
hunted caribou make up most of their diet. The
coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is sacred to them;
they call it “the place where life begins.”
Opening the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to
oil drilling would jeopardize their entire culture.
How to protect the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service should finalize its plan for managing the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and recommend
that the coastal plain be designated wilderness.
Congress should also act, and pass legislation to
add the coastal plain to the National Wilderness
Preservation System.
9
It was the cultural center for Ancestral Puebloans,
and the gatherings that happened in Chaco Canyon
help explain our own history today. “One of the most critical aspects of Chaco Canyon
was that it was built very purposefully. Allowing
drilling to take place here would be like allowing
drilling on the National Mall in Washington DC – all
of the buildings are aligned with one another along
the cardinal directions, and have specific views of
cosmic events like the summer and winter solstices.
“The effects of drilling so near Chaco Canyon go
beyond just being able to see an oil derrick. The
haze from the wells, the dust that is kicked up by
the trucks driving back and forth to the wellpads –
all of these diminish the qualities of Chaco Canyon
that make it historic. Losing those means losing part
of not just Native culture, but American culture.”
alignment with the stars, in a way that modern
scholars are still studying. Putting the land into the
hands of gas and oil drilling would destroy these
valuable and timeless landmarks and the flora and
fauna that depend upon the land.
Threats to Chaco Canyon
The Bureau of Land Management is offering leases
on lands right outside the park boundaries. If
developed, these leases would mar the views from
the park, and pollute the air in and around this
historic site.
Perhaps worse, other potential leases in the area
are in areas with unprotected Chacoan ruins,
which could be lost forever if leases are sold and
developed.
Economic
Benefits
New Mexico: Chaco Canyon
A
long gravel road in the Four
Corners region of Northern New
Mexico will take you to the high
desert valley and cultural wonder that
is Chaco Canyon. Once inhabited or
visited by a number of Native American
peoples, including the Navajo and Hopi
who still hold these places sacred, the
canyon is home to some of America’s
most abundant and intact specimens and
artifacts documenting the history of this
once prosperous gathering place. Visitors
can experience the past in and around
Chaco through a setting that harkens
back centuries, including a worldrenowned night sky that is truly timeless.
That landscape includes numerous internationally
significant cultural resources, including portions
of the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site and
several congressionally designated Chaco Culture
Archaeological Protection Sites.
Puebloan culture can be felt among the ruins that
remain in Chaco Canyon and the surrounding lands.
“Chaco Canyon is one of the landmark monuments
of human civilization in the American Southwest.
10
The masonry work and ceremonial finds uncovered
in the Canyon have amazed researchers and
archeologists for years. The region has become a
hotbed of historical and scientific discovery.
The continued exploration of the region and
appreciation of this still-living culture are
threatened, however, by plans for oil and gas
drilling near park and historic site boundaries.
Dr. John Kantner, Ph.D. and RPA,
archaeologist and VP for Academic &
Institutional Advancement School for
Advanced Research
The Wilderness Society
Because of its
remote location,
Chaco Canyon
doesn’t see the
same number of
tourists as a place
like Yellowstone
National Park. But
that doesn’t mean
that the park isn’t an
economic engine in
its own right.
Visitors spend
almost $1 million
dollars in the
area every year –
supporting a dozen jobs in the park and 40 more
outside the boundaries.
The area is also one of the best locations for
archaeology in the nation, attracting universities
and experts to learn more of the Puebloan culture,
and the importance that Chaco Canyon had to
the ancestral Puebloans. The Puebloan/Chacoan
people built large stone buildings, arrayed in
Too Wild to Drill
and wildflower populations.
Leasing in the
area doesn’t
just threaten the
cultural resources
of Chaco Canyon
– it also endangers
plants and wildlife
that depend on
the area. Elk,
deer, bobcats,
rabbits, badgers,
porcupines, bats,
snakes, lizards
and varying bird
species roam the
landscape through
the Canyon’s
floor of pinyonjuniper woodlands,
cottonwoods and
willows, and scrub
How to protect Chaco Canyon: The BLM
can take action to protect the area around Chaco
Canyon by creating what’s called a Master Leasing
Plan. This plan would identify and evaulate the land
so that sensitive and culturally valuable areas can be
kept safe from drilling, and areas more appropriate
for drilling can be leased.
11
C
arved by the Green River’s winding
course through red rock canyons,
Desolation Canyon sounds like a
forbidding, inhospitable place. But this
stretch of eastern Utah is actually an
adventurer’s playground of juniper and
cottonwood trees, multicolored rocks
spires, and ancient American Indian rock
art and archaeological sites. It’s also a
magnet for river rafters for its whitewater,
scenery and history.
Desolation Canyon is one of the largest swaths of
unprotected wilderness in the continental United
States. The rugged terrain and geology make it
a wondrous place for people to explore and for
wildlife to thrive, but it has also become the target
of oil and gas drilling.
Recently, more than 1,300 wells were approved for
drilling in this wild canyon, some of them right up to
the edge of the river. This is in addition to the many
more active drilling sites near Vernal, Utah – so
many that visitors to Desolation Canyon often can’t
find lodging because all the hotel rooms are taken
by oil and gas workers.
Herm Hoops River runner
“The drilling around Desolation Canyon is
terrible for the rafting industry. Desolation
Canyon is one of the most beautiful, remote and
wild places in the country, but it’s hard to draw
people in when there isn’t any place for them
to stay before their trip. All the rooms in Vernal
are booked with oil and gas workers, so tourists
that want to run the river often have to stay up
to 90 miles away. And once they do find a place
to stay, the drive to get to where the boats
launch is festooned with oil and gas wells. It’s
harder and harder to interest people in multiday trips through Desolation Canyon with all of
the development nearby. Other places in Uintah
Basin have already lost their wild character – the
view from Fantasy Canyon in the Book Cliffs area
is nothing but semi-trucks and gas wells. On top
of all that, drilling uses up a lot of water – here
in Utah, every bit
of water is critical
for the river, for
the wildlife, for
agriculture and for
the people.”
Economic
Benefits
Being outside and
active in places
like Desolation
Canyon is a huge
boon to the Utah
economy. Outdoor
recreation like
rafting, mountain
biking, and backpacking contributes $12 billion
to the state economy every year, and supports
more than 122,000 direct jobs. Many of these
activities – and the economic benefits from
them – depend on the protected wild lands in
the state.
Desolation Canyon provides important
economic benefits. Sixteen river guiding
companies take people down Desolation
Canyon and dozens more private boating trips
are launched each year. More than 50% of the
people using the river and wilderness are from
Utah: Desolation Canyon
12
The Wilderness Society
Too Wild to Drill
Colorado and Utah—a reminder that access to
special areas like Desolation Canyon is part of the
reason people move their businesses and families
to these states. The economic benefits would
be even greater for the surrounding towns if the
lands were protected – a recent study found on
average, rural western counties have a per capita
income that is $436 higher for every 10,000 acres
of protected public lands within their boundaries.
Threats to Desolation Canyon
In June 2012, the Bureau of Land Management
approved a plan to allow nearly 1,300 oil and
gas wells to be drilled in the Desolation Canyon
area. More than 200 of these wells would be
drilled in a part of Desolation Canyon so sensitive
that it has been found suitable for inclusion in
the National Wilderness Preservation System –
reserved for the wildest and most untrammeled
places. Without
protection for the
wilderness, wildlife,
water and rock art
of this area, it will
continue to be at
risk from drilling.
This sprawling
development will
occupy more than
five square miles
of wildernessquality lands and
wildlife habitat
near Desolation
Canyon and could
make already
dangerous levels of air pollution even worse. The
past several years have seen ozone levels spike
in the wintertime as a result of massive energy
development already happening in eastern Utah.
How to protect Desolation Canyon:
The BLM should use its authority to prevent
drilling any of the 200 wells proposed in the
wilderness-caliber lands in the Desolation
Canyon area. BLM should protect the wild natural
and cultural wonders of Desolation Canyon by
limiting wells to the right places and with the
right safeguards.
13
Colorado: Greater Dinosaur Region
I worry about the boom and bust of oil drilling;
people move in, things get built up, and then the
oil and gas are gone, but the buildings remain. We
own a gas station too – obviously we need things
like oil in the world, but you can’t drill everywhere.
Places like Dinosaur should be off limits to drilling.
People want to
vacation in beautiful
places – they don’t
want to vacation in an
oilfield.
Economic
Benefits
T
he lands in and around Dinosaur
National Monument are etched
with history – literally. Fremont and
Ute peoples left their petroglyphs and
pictographs on the sandstone walls and
hidden alcoves along the Yampa River;
the Dominguez-Escalante expedition
of 1776 brought the first Europeans to
visit the Green River and observe the
geographic wonder of Split Mountain;
and Butch Cassidy and other outlaws
used the remote basin of Browns Park to
hide out and plan their next heist.
Today the area attracts a different breed of
adventurer. Hunters and anglers flock to the lands
around the Green and Yampa Rivers to seek out
trophy elk or to fish the world-class trout fisheries.
Hikers and backpackers enjoy the deep sandstone
canyons and wildlife rich uplands, and each spring
and summer, thousands of rafters and kayakers pour
14
into the region to float the Yampa and Green Rivers
through Dinosaur National Monument.
However, oil and gas drilling continues to encroach.
As the lands around Rangely and Vernal become
more and more leased, drillers are pushing deeper
into the heart of the region seeking the last
remaining undeveloped lands. This quest to lease
and drill every acre throughout Greater Dinosaur is
having immediate consequences.
Leona Hemmerich – Owner, The
Bedrock Depot, Brontosaurus Blvd,
Dinosaur, Colorado.
I’m not opposed to drilling – but there needs to be
a balance to it. Drilling, and potentially oil shale,
requires a lot of water, and that water would come
from the Yampa River that flows through Dinosaur
National Monument. Rafters floating the Yampa are
a big source of business for us, losing water from
the river to go to drilling and oil shale development
means losing sales.
The Wilderness Society
Outdoor adventure
is a major source of
local economic activity
in the area around
Dinosaur National
Monument. More
than 9,000 boaters
floated on the White
and Yampa Rivers last year, and the permit to float
the Yampa through Dinosaur National Monument
is currently one of the most sought-after river
permits in the lower 48. Additionally, the area is
considered some of the best big game hunting
in Colorado and Utah. The area hosts some of
the largest migratory elk and mule deer herds in
North America, while also providing refuge for the
threatened greater sage grouse.
Oil and gas development threatens the growing
tourism industry in the area. The thriving outdoor
recreation industry brings more than 192,000
people to the area – spending more than $6.7
million annually and supporting numerous local,
sustainable jobs.
Finding a balance between oil and gas drilling and
conservation of wild public lands for recreation, and
wildlife is critical to region – protecting lands that
draw in tourists also protects the local economy
from the “boom and bust” cycle of fossil fuel
extraction.
Too Wild to Drill
Threats to Dinosaur National Monument
Over the years, and over strenuous and often
successful objections, the BLM has issued dozens of
oil and gas leases in the landscape that surrounds
Dinosaur National Monument. This has occurred
in spite of repeated
objections from the
National Park Service
and others concerned
about the potential
impacts of widespread
drilling on the
monument’s pristine
night skies and
recreation and tourism
opportunities.
In early 2013, the
BLM again attempted
to issue oil and gas
leases perilously close
to Dinosaur. One
lease would have
allowed drilling right
next to one of the monument’s visitors centers,
while others were right next to monument entrance
roads.
While the BLM eventually reversed course on
the leases sale – keeping more than 22,000
acres surrounding Dinosaur National Monument
temporarily safe from drilling—the lands remain
open to leasing.
How to protect the Greater Dinosaur
region: The BLM is now preparing a “master
leasing plan” for the area—a step in the right
direction— but it has signaled that it will resume
leasing around Dinosaur before the MLP is finished.
The BLM must develop a plan that will protect the
wilderness, wildlife and water that characterize
Greater Dinosaur. Further, BLM should not allow
new leasing in the Dinosaur region until this plan is
finished in order to protect sensitive wildlife habitat
and the rivers that flow through the region.
15
T
he George Washington National
Forest is home to wild native
brook trout, black bears, and the
headwaters of the Potomac and James
Rivers that flow through two capital cities,
Washington D.C. and Richmond, Va.
One of the largest forests in the eastern
U.S., it’s more known for its rolling hills
blanketed with trees than it is for energy.
But natural gas drilling, along with
hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” could
be coming to this wild forest.
This is a great concern to the 260,000 people of
the Shenandoah Valley who get their water directly
from the George Washington National Forest,
and the 4.5 million people farther downstream in
Washington and Richmond who rely on the forest’s
clean, clear water from the forest. Fracking uses
millions of gallons of fresh water, the chemicals
used in the process are injected deep underground,
and then wastewater (containing fracking chemicals
and other substances) are stored in above
ground holding ponds, where leaks and spills can
potentially contaminate drinking water for millions
of people.
George Neall – owner of Plan B Café
Virginia:
George Washington National Forest
“My wife, Lisa, and I are the owners of Plan B,
a community café on Main Street in Broadway,
Virginia. One of the reasons we bought a small farm
in Fulks Run about 8 years ago is the water; it’s clean,
abundant, and pollution-free. And our farm backs up
to the George Washington National Forest.
“As a retired mining engineer familiar with
geotechnical engineering, rock mechanics, and
practical mining, I have concluded that there are
too many variables and unknowns associated with
actual site conditions and the whole process of
fracking for it to be considered safe. We worry
about the risks to ground water and surface water,
the dramatic increase in heavy truck traffic, poor
air quality, land clearing, soil erosion and a host of
other issues associated with fracking.
“Fracking in the George Washington National
Forest would jeopardize the air and water quality
of the area, and threaten fishing, hunting, hiking,
camping, and sustainable forest harvesting. Without
16
The Wilderness Society
Too Wild to Drill
things like timbering and energy production, we’d
be in the Stone Age, but we also can’t let them
destroy the quality of our lives now.”
Economic Benefits
The George Washington National Forest is an
outdoorsman’s dream. Hikers can trod nearly empty
trails away from the crowds that gather at nearby
Shenandoah National Park, and mountain bikers
enjoy more than 1,100 miles of some of the east’s
finest mountain biking trails.
Outdoor activities account for $13.6 billion in
economic activity and more than 138,000 jobs. A lot
of this activity happens in the mountains of western
Virginia, just a few short hours from Washington, D.C.
Fly-fishing for wild rainbow, brown, and native
brook trout is a popular activity in the forest, but the
extreme water use from fracking could threaten this
pastime. Trout, especially the native brook trout, rely
on only the cleanest water to live in – contamination
from fracking could spell disaster for this iconic fish.
Threats to George Washington
National Forest
The U.S. Forest Service originally disallowed
horizontal drilling and fracking for natural gas within
the George Washington National Forest boundaries.
However, after pushback from the natural gas industry,
the Forest Service began reconsidering its decision.
The biggest concern is that some of the chemicals
used in the fracking process could contaminate
drinking water for many communities. Hydraulic
fracturing is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water
Act, and companies do not have to disclose what
chemicals they are using in their fracking fluid.
Common additives include known toxins like
benzene and arsenic. As the fracking fluid returns
to the surface, it also contains other substances
(and even radioactive elements) that are naturally
occurring far below the earth’s surface but can harm
drinking water supplies for millions of people.
How to protect the George Washington
National Forest:
The U.S. Forest Service should continue its ban
on horizontal drilling and fracking in the George
Washington National Forest, where the risks are just
too great.
17
the world. The Los Padres National Forest is
also one of the most pristine watersheds in the
world serving millions of people in a semi-arid
desert region. As I relax by, and in, the North
Fork Matilija Creek that perennially flows through
my property, I am grateful for the incredible
aquifer perched high above in the forest. Maybe
most amazing is that here, just 60 miles from Los
Angeles, you can go into the forest and not see
another person for more than a week.
Economic Benefits
The Los Padres National Forest has something
for everyone. Coastal tidal pools are home to sea
otters and shorebirds, and elk, and black bears
prowl the mountain peaks, making the forest a
wildlife watcher’s paradise. Backpacking into the
Los Padres backcountry provides amazing solitude,
just 60 miles from Los Angeles.
Outdoor adventures in California contribute more
than $85 billion to California’s economy, and
support more than 700,000 jobs. These adventures
depend on places like the Los Padres National
Forest being kept wild. Drilling in the Los Padres
would threaten these adventures, and the economic
benefits that come with them.
Threats to The Los Padres National
Forest
The Los Padres National Forest is the main source
of drinking water for the Santa Barbara area – the
majority of the area’s water starts in the hills and
valleys of the Los Padres. Water from the forest
supports two huge industries in California – farming
and winemaking. Tourism is also a huge draw to
the area, but tourists generally come to see nature,
not oil rigs.
California:
Los Padres National Forest
J
ust barely outside the Los Angeles
metropolitan area is a hidden gem of
our national forests: the Los Padres
National Forest. Covering more than
one and three quarter million acres, the
Los Padres is a haven for wildlife and
adventurers alike.
The Los Padres was where one of the last wild
California condors – one of the most endangered
birds in the world – was found and reintroduced;
and nearly two dozen other endangered species
reside in the forest. It’s one of the most biodiverse
landscapes in the world, with ecosystems ranging
from coastal habitats to classic California redwood
groves.
However, the hydraulic fracturing rush is coming to
California, and companies are looking to frack this
18
The forest itself is incredibly unique. Already,
875,000 acres of the forest are designated
wilderness areas – the highest form of protection
available for federal lands.
wild forest to get to the oil deposits far below the
surface. Drilling in the forest could have disastrous
effects far downstream – the Los Padres is the
headwaters of five rivers that make up more than 70%
of the drinking water for the city of Santa Barbara.
Water-intensive operations like fracking could
leave the city and surrounding farms and vineyards
high and dry. There is also a risk of groundwater
contamination from fracking and storage of the used
fracking fluid, which is laced with industrial chemicals.
Chris Danch – Forest Advocate and CoCreator of the Condor Wilderness Trail
“The Los Padres National Forest may be one of
the most under-appreciated forests in the United
States. People look at it and just see these scrubby,
brushy hills and mountains – they don’t realize that
what they’re seeing is a chaparral ecosystem that
is one of the most diverse, resilient ecosystems in
The Wilderness Society
“This place is so amazingly special, I took each
of my children backpacking in the Los Padres
National Forest as soon as they were old enough
to carry a pack (age 4). Introducing them to such
a wild landscape at a young age is critical for
cementing a love of wilderness and wild places
in them for their entire lives. There is also no
question that their wilderness experience was
fundamental to them becoming the outstanding
adults they are today. And it was seeing the Los
Padres through my kids’ eyes that changed my
life, compelling me give up a successful full-time
legal career to focus on protecting this landscape
and sharing it with others.
“We have a lot of places to be proud of, and
protect, in America, but wild places like the Los
Padres National Forest are what we should be
proudest and most protective of.”
Too Wild to Drill
But leasing decisions in the area could open more
than 52,000 acres to oil drilling. Drilling would be
limited to 5,000 acres of surface occupancy, making
horizontal drilling and fracking almost required for
the wells. Drilling would also threaten the habitat
of the endangered California condor - three of
the drilling areas are right next to essential condor
habitat.
The oil industry already has 180 operating wells in
less sensitive parts of the Los Padres – they don’t
need to drill in fragile environmental areas.
How to protect the Los Padres
National Forest: The USFS and BLM should
fully consider the impacts of drilling in the wildest
places of the Los Padres National Forest, and
prohibit or restrict drilling where it would have a
serious impact on water and wildlife.
19
But for all the Flathead’s exceptional above ground
values, the North Fork is still not permanently
protected from oil and gas drilling and hardrock
mining below ground. The areas has been leased
by oil and gas companies in the past and it could
happen again in the future unless we work to pass
the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, which is
currently before both chambers of Congress.
Stuart Reiswig – owner/manager of
Polebridge Mercantile
“The North Fork of the Flathead is our business –
people come to experience the pristine wild area.
It’s how our business survives. A lot of people stop
in for our bakery, and for last-minute groceries
before they head out into the backcountry, so
having a wild, undrilled backcountry is pretty
critical.
“We were here for about a year when the
Memorandum of Understanding was signed
“
Threats to North Fork of the
Flathead River
For a hundred years, companies have tried to pull
energy and minerals from the ground beneath the
Flathead valley without success. Every decade
saw a new threat on one or both sides of the
international border which resulted in international
conflict and newspaper headlines.
But thanks to international cooperation, Canada
and the U.S. are both working to protect the North
Fork of the Flathead in their respective territories.
Canada has already declared their portion of
the flathead off-limits to mining and extraction.
... having a wild, undrilled
backcountry is pretty critical
Montana: North Fork of
the Flathead River
T
he North Fork of the Flathead
spans the U.S. and Canadian
border and forms the western
boundary of Glacier National Park. It
is one of the wildest river valleys in
the continental United States and
located in a region named the “Crown
of the Continent” for its clean water
and unspoiled forests, mountains and
wildlife. The North Fork is home to one
of the densest populations of grizzly
bears in the country and is a stronghold
for disappearing native bull trout and
west slope cutthroat trout. 20
work and raise a family. Montana’s economy is
growing and outperforming the broader U.S.
economy; in large part due to its outdoor amenities
and protected areas. This competitive advantage
attracts new entrepreneurs and talent to the state
and helps grow the economy.
The Wilderness Society
between the U.S. and Canada to protect the
Flathead. The Canadian government has already
done their part to make sure that the Flathead is
protected from energy development – now it’s time
to pass the North Fork Protection Act and take
drilling off the table on the U.S. side as well.”
Economic Benefits
The dominant engine driving the economy of the
Flathead valley is no secret. About 2 million people
visit Glacier National Park and Flathead River valley
areas each year, injecting $100 million into the local
economy and supporting 1,400 jobs. Each year,
destinations like Glacier Park set new attendance
records as more Americans flock to witness the
spectacular view and wildlife of the area.
But the wild North Fork of the Flathead doesn’t
just attract tourists; it’s also a great place to live,
Too Wild to Drill
”
Stuart Reiswig — Owner Polebridge Mercantile
On the U.S. side, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and
Exxon subsidiary XTO Energy have worked with
Montana’s Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester to
voluntarily relinquish more than 200,000 acres of
mineral leases. Senators Baucus and Tester have
introduced The North Fork Flathead Watershed
Protection Act in the Senate and Montana’s sole
congressman, Steve Daines (R), introduced a
companion bill in the House of Representatives
to permanently withdraw 400,000 acres of the
watershed on the U.S. side from any future leasing
or mining claims. Much of this would be in the
Flathead national forest.
How to protect the North Fork of
the Flathead River: Congress should take
immediate action on the North Fork Flathead
Watershed Protection Act, and finalize the
agreement to protect this wild forest.
21
in a timelessness that lies still upon the plains.
Seeing a pronghorn is a reminder of the rarified
cadence of Otero Mesa. A dilapidated windmill, an
etching on the rocks, a rough outline of someone’s
home, all conjure thoughts of the past, the people
who lived, toiled, fought for, and died in this
remote land.”
Economic Benefits
The Otero Mesa Grasslands within the Chihuahuan
Desert have long been recognized as “special”
by the State of New Mexico, former Governor
Bill Richardson, numerous state legislators and
scientists, tribal
and religious
leaders,
sportsmen,
ranchers, and
conservationists.
New Mexico: Otero Mesa
H
idden on the Texas-New
Mexico border near Carlsbad is
America’s largest remaining intact
Chihuahuan grasslands, totaling over
1.2 million acres. Otero Mesa, which sits
high above the Salt Basin Aquifer, offers a
place for quiet reflection and recreation,
hunting and cultural discovery.
Thousands of ancient petroglyphs and
archeological sites can be found on Otero Mesa’s
volcanic Cornudas Mountains, including several
ruins from the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach
Route.
Often referred to as the Serengeti of the Southwest,
Otero Mesa is also host to many native wildlife
species, including mule deer, mountain lion, blacktailed prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, the
aplamado falcon, over 200 species of migratory
songbirds, and boasts the state’s healthiest herd of
pronghorn antelope.
22
In early 2001, the Bush administration and the oil
and gas industry targeted Otero Mesa for drilling.
Mining claims have also been staked in the area,
putting added pressure on the land and wildlife.
Deni Seymour archaeologist
Deni Seymour is an archaeologist and
ethnohistorian who lives in Albuquerque, New
Mexico. She has dedicated her life’s work to the
study of the lesser known indigenous cultures
of the American Southwest. Now, as a full time
researcher, she studies the many mobile peoples
who called Otero Mesa home and explores their
many connections to modern descendants.
“Otero Mesa is the embodiment of what is
important about the West. It is difficult to
understand until you have stood in the middle
of a vast unspoiled landscape, seeing nothing in
your entire world but grasslands ringed by rugged
mountains, as people have for millennia. The
quiet is as immense as the history is deep. The
connection to the past and the future is embedded
The Wilderness Society
Sportsmen find
this area especially
appealing thanks
to bountiful
pronghorn
antelope hunting.
These hunters
bring muchneeded revenue
to local motels
and restaurants as
well as outfitters
and sporting good
stores. As the
Outdoor Industry Association has noted, preserving
access to outdoor recreation protects the economy,
the businesses, the communities and the people
who depend on the ability to play outside.
Data shows that outdoor recreation generates more
than $6.1 billion in consumer spending, 68,000
direct New Mexican jobs, $1.7 billion in wages and
salaries as well as $458 million in state and local tax
revenue.
The close proximity of Otero Mesa to the town of
Alamogordo and protected areas like White Sands
National Monument draw visitors from both near
and far, meaning that these monetary values are
increasingly important and likely to grow in the
Too Wild to Drill
region when Otero Mesa receives the permanent
protection it deserves.
Threats to Otero Mesa
For more than a decade a number of unlikely allies
have stood together in calling for the permanent
protection of this rare and beautiful grassland,
as well as its freshwater resources within the Salt
Basin Aquifer. From members of the Mescalero
Apache, to state elected officials, to religious
leaders and conservationists, a wide array of people
have asked for a long-term plan for Otero Mesa
that would ensure that its cultural, scientific and
ecological values are
protected for future
generations.
Since 1997, when
the Harvey E. Yates
Company drilled
a test well at the
base of Alamo
Mountain, there has
been an ongoing
effort to ensure that
oil and gas drilling
and mining do
not permanently
damage the values
of this area.
The U.S. 10th Circuit
Court of Appeals
issued a decision
in 2009 on litigation brought by the State of New
Mexico, state agencies and a number of conservation
groups found that the Bureau of Land Management
did not adequately consider potential impacts of
oil and gas development. Furthermore, the court
found that BLM’s entire plan was flawed because the
agency did not consider an alternative to protect all
of Otero Mesa from oil and gas drilling.
How to protect Otero Mesa: A new plan
from the BLM for the region is under development
and until a final plan is adopted, Otero Mesa will
continue to face a growing threat from extractive
industries. The BLM’s new plan should prohibit
drilling in Otero Mesa to protect its wild qualities.
23
continues, I know that I need to document many
of these special places now, because they will be
changed forever.”
Wyoming: The Red Desert
Economic Benefits
While it might be off the beaten path, the Red
Desert provides unique recreational opportunities
for hiking, hunting, horseback riding, scenic
driving, rock hounding and birdwatching. Adobe
Town in the south is a maze of multi-colored
pillars, arches and canyons for remote backcountry
exploration. The Northern Red Desert includes
the vast scenic vistas of the Boar’s Tusk, Steamboat
Mountain, Oregon Buttes, Continental Peak,
Honeycomb Buttes and the Killpecker Sand Dunes
and is comprised of seven BLM wilderness study
areas. This area is prized for its big game hunting
and access for many uses. Additionally, the
archeological, historical and cultural heritage of the
Red Desert landscape is of national significance and
remains in a relatively undamaged state.
Threats to The Red Desert
Sprawling over more than 400,000 acres, the
greater Red Desert is called the “crown jewel”
of Wyoming’s desert wilderness. But much of it,
especially around Adobe Town, is potentially open
to oil and gas drilling – casting a dark shadow over
this wild landscape.
T
he Red Desert of southwest
Wyoming is a remote, wild
landscape of multi-colored buttes,
rims, badlands, towering sand dunes
and vast open spaces. Wyoming citizens
have sought to protect the area since
1898 - first as a Winter Game Preserve,
then later as a National Park, National
Wildlife Refuge, wild horse preserve and
a North American Antelope Range.
This high, cold desert environment supports a large
diversity of wildlife, including mule deer, antelope,
a rare desert elk herd, raptors and rare songbirds
like Scott’s oriole and the blue-gray flycatcher.
Bands of wild horses roam this area of volcanic rock
formations, hoodoos and sand dunes.
From the foreboding badlands of Adobe Town to
the continental divide at South Pass, Wyoming’s
Red Desert is a landscape chronicling the history
24
of the West. Native Americans frequented the area
following migrating wildlife and left behind a rich
legacy of cultural sites and petroglyphs. The Oregon,
Outlaw, Mormon and Pony Express Trails cross
through the area, and these lands were also the
hideouts and haunts of such legendary characters as
Butch Cassidy and his Powder Wash Gang, Jedediah
Smith and Jim Bridger.
However, oil and gas drilling are encroaching on
Adobe Town and other parts of the Red Desert. The
Bureau of Land Management continues to issue leases
in the area surrounding Adobe Town, threatening the
wildlife and historical features of the area. Parts of
Adobe Town and much of the Jack Morrow Hills area
in the northern Red Desert are protected by the BLM
as Wilderness Study Areas, but thousands more acres
are still at risk.
Dan Hayward, professional photographer
“I’ve been a professional photographer for over
30 years, and I was blessed that we [myself and my
The Wilderness Society
siblings] learned a strong environmental ethic as
we grew up. As a photographer, and because of
who I am, I have a strong connection to the plants,
animals and the natural landscape as well as with
the energy you feel from the natural world.
“Photography is my livelihood, and it’s getting
harder and harder to photograph special natural
places like Adobe Town and the Red Desert that
don’t have signs of human activity or development.
Industrial development like that of an oil field in an
environment changes the landscape, often disrupts
wildlife which then changes the area’s flora, thereby
altering the entire ecosystem. Add in smoggy air
from the wells and dust from trucks, and there
are some cases where you just can’t get decent
photographs anymore.
“It seems odd that such special and unique
places like Adobe Town are threatened with
drilling when there are so many other places,
especially previously impacted areas, where energy
is available. As the relentless pressure to drill
Too Wild to Drill
While just under half of Adobe Town is protected
by the wilderness study area, even that protection
is not permanent. In addition, the parts that aren’t
protected could forever lose their wild character
due to intensive drilling – becoming dotted with
well pads, and crisscrossed by a spider web of
roads and pipelines.
While the BLM has leased many of the acres in and
around the Red Desert, these leases are often held
so long that they expire without any drilling taking
place. Under BLM’s plan for the Jack Morrow Hills
in the Northern Red Desert, the agency is phasing
out some of these leases, a trend that we need to
see continued.
The Red Desert of Wyoming represents the best of
our western heritage.
How to protect The Red Desert and
Adobe Town: The BLM is currently developing
management plans for the Red Desert. These
plans should protect backcountry recreation and
wilderness-quality lands for everyone to enjoy.
25
The Thompson Divide area has been ranched
for more than a century, and it remains one of the
strongest enclaves of traditional ranching culture on
the Western Slope. There are 35 operations grazing
cattle on federal allotments within the Thompson
Divide. These ranches preserve thousands of acres
of increasingly scarce winter range for deer and elk,
and play an essential role in the larger ecosystem.
Unfortunately, oil and gas development is knocking
at its door.
Drilling in the Thompson Divide would threaten
more than 15 watersheds in the region –
threatening drinking water for communities and
ranchers, and the fish and wildlife in the area.
Farther downstream, farmers in Colorado’s North
Fork Valley rely on water from the Thompson Divide
to irrigate their crops.
Bill Fales – owner/operator of Cold
Mountain Ranch
“Keeping oil and gas
drilling out of the
Thompson Divide is
important to me for a
whole host of reasons
– starting with water.
We run a grass-fed
cattle operation, and
even a perception of
contamination in the
water hurts the market
for our cattle.
Western Colorado: Thompson Divide
T
he Thompson Divide is home to ranchers, blue-ribbon trout streams, and
some of the most sought after hunting grounds in Colorado. The 221,000
acre swath of ranchlands and mid-altitude forests is also the source of the
region’s agricultural and drinking water. Hikers, mountain bikers and campers
enjoy the unparalleled trails throughout the forests, and climbers scale the
Thompson Creek Fins.
26
The Wilderness Society
“More drilling activity in the area means more dust
in the air – more dust means the snowpack will melt
sooner, and there will be less water when we need
it. The roads that would have to be built would also
affect our herds; you simply can’t put a gate across a
road – we’d have to put up miles of fencing as well
so that more of our cattle could not wander off.
“Many of the ranchers in this community depend
on the Forest Service to graze their cattle. Drilling
here would devastate the community.”
Economic Benefits
The Thompson Divide is home to some of the best
trout fishing in the world. The iconic Roaring Fork
River is the centerpiece and is a blue ribbon fishery.
Too Wild to Drill
Tributaries to the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers
also provide abundant opportunities to catch native
trout.
Outdoor recreation activities like hiking, fishing,
and hunting help form the backbone of the
economy in Gunnison, Pitkin and Garfield Counties.
Hiking, biking and other outdoor activities generate
more than $12 million in the area. More than
26,000 people in the Thompson Divide region are
employed in the travel and tourism industries, with
another 5,000 in recreation and 2,600 in hunting
and fishing.
Across Colorado, outdoor recreation is a major
economic driver – creating more than $13.2 billion
in economic activity, and supporting more than
124,000 jobs.
Leaving the Thompson Divide’s unique and
treasured lands undrilled will help ensure long-term
economic prosperity and healthy communities in
Colorado’s central mountain region. Protection will
help us achieve an elusive
balance that Coloradans
have been trying to find
for generations - a balance
between conservation and
energy development.
Threats to
Thompson Divide
In 2003 the Bush
Administration issued 81 mineral leases in the
Thompson Divide area covering approximately
105,000 acres. The vast majority of these leases
were sold, without environmental review or public
involvement, at the statutory minimum of $2.00 per
acre. These leases also had little to no protections
for landowners, who could see their property
invaded by trucks and well pads from the oil
companies.
How to protect the Thompson Divide:
Legislation has been introduced by Senator Michael
Bennet to withdraw lands from future leasing in the
Thompson Divide. This would ensure that the wild
lands in the area would be kept safe for traditional
uses like ranching, hunting and angling, as well as
the wide array of recreational opportunities that
drive the region’s economy.
27
I
t’s been nearly a decade since
the federal government first
sparked a firestorm by targeting
the Wyoming Range for new energy
development. Since then folks from
all backgrounds have worked to keep
energy development out of the Wyoming
Range – first by passing the Wyoming
Range Legacy Act, which withdrew
1.2 million acres from new oil and gas
leasing, and then through the voluntary
purchase of grandfathered energy leases
in the Hoback Basin in the northern part
of the Range. To this day however, the
original conflict that began the fight for
the Wyoming Range remains unresolved.
44,700 acres – located in the gateway
to the Wyoming Range – remain under
threat with a leasing decision pending
this year.
Wyoming Range
Aaron Bannon, National Outdoor
Leadership School
“There’s no way around it – drilling in the Wyoming
Range would end some of our programs. If
drilling were to occur on the 44,700 acres that are
unprotected, it’s possible we would have to cease
all of our winter operations there, and severely
curtail our summer ones.
“Losing the summer operations would be a huge
loss. These are our adventures for young students,
15 and 16 years old, and in many cases this is the
first time they’ve ever been backpacking. They get
out there and learn critical life and leadership skills,
and a big part of the experience is being in the
wilderness of the Wyoming Range.
“Losing our winter programs is equally devastating
– the areas that are unprotected amount to our
entire winter course area in this Range. Our winter
courses teach skills like wilderness rescue – skills
that benefit search and rescue workers in parks and
wild areas across the nation. We already had to
stop having programs on the White River National
Forest in Utah because the nearby drilling activity
was too intense.
28
The Wilderness Society
Too Wild to Drill
“Wyoming is a pretty big state – there is plenty of
room to be able to have oil and gas drilling, and
protect the wildest places at the same time.”
Economic Benefits
While visitors are more likely to crowd nearby
Grand Teton National Park, the Wyoming Range
provides areas for local Wyoming residents to hunt
and fish and camp with their families. The Range is
renowned for its big game, including mule deer, elk
and moose, while an abundance of clean streams
create a safe refuge for native cutthroat trout.
Because of this, hunting and fishing alone from
these 44,700 acres contributes $5.2 million annually
to local economies. In addition to hunters and
fisherman, the eastern gateway is regularly used by
backpackers and hikers who traverse the 70-mile
Wyoming Range National Scenic Trail which runs
along the crest of the range at more than 9,000
feet. The area is also heavily used by snowmobilers
and skiers in the winter.
Economic Benefits
These lands along the gateway to the Wyoming
Range were originally offered for lease to oil and
gas companies by the Forest Service in 2005 and
2006. Sparking a grassroots movement of protest
and a series of challenges by local outfitters,
sportsmen, former Gov. Dave Freudenthal,
conservationists, and labor unions, these contested
leases have remained in legal limbo ever since. In
2011, the Forest Service made a decision to cancel
the lease offerings on the entire 44,700 acres, but
when two energy companies appealed, the agency
withdrew the decision in order to conduct further
analysis.
If the 44,700 acres of leases are validated in the
upcoming environmental review decision, at least
five energy companies could try to advance drilling
projects in the middle of popular elk hunting
camps, grazing allotments, fishing holes and
camping areas. Stanley Energy, a wildcat outfit
out of Colorado has floated a proposal to drill 200
gas wells from 8 well pads, each covering 50 acres.
Although it’s been almost eight years since these
areas were first offered for leasing, the gateway to
the Wyoming Range is still too special to drill.
How to protect the Wyoming Range:
The U.S. Forest Service should keep these leases
from being developed, keeping the Wyoming
Range wild and safe from drilling.
29
IMAGES:
Introduction
(page 4) — Delicate Arch and LaSalle Mountains, Arches NP. Photo by: © Fred Hanselmann
Places Protected
(page 5) — Pine Ridge Trail - Los Padres NF. Photo by: Miguel Vieira
Utah: Arches National Park:
(Page 6) — Arches National Park. Photo by: istockphoto.com/Rezus
(Page 7) — Landscape Arch - Arches NP. Photo by: Daveynin
Alaska: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
(Page 8) — Coastal Plain - ANWR. Photo by: Lincoln Else
(Page 9) — Caribou calf; Wildflowers and tent. Photo by: Linocln Else
New Mexico: Chaco Canyon
(Page 10) — Pueblo del arroyo - Chaco Canyon -Photo by: credit istockphoto.com/LifeSizeImages
(Page 11) — Fajada Butte and Chaco Canyon - Chaco Canyon. Photo by: oldmantravels
Utah: Desolation Canyon
(Page 12) — Green River - Gunnison Butte. Photo by: © Fred Hanselmann
(Page 13) — Green River, Cottonwoods, River. Photo by: © Fred Hanselmann
Colorado: Greater Dinosaur Region
(Page 14) — Yampa Sunset - Dinosaur. Photo by: Jackson Frishman
(Page 15) — Yampa Firelight - Dinosaur. Photo by: Jackson Frishman
Virginia: George Washington National Forest
(Page 16) — Crabtree Falls - GWNF. Photo by: iStockphoto/vagrant83
(Page 17) — Tibbet Knob - GWNF. Photo by: iStockphoto/carrollmt
California: Los Padres National Forest
(Page 18) — Pine Ridge Trail - Los Padres NF. Photo by: Miguel Vieira
(Page 19) — Condor - Los Padres NF. Photo by: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Montana: North Fork of the Flathead River
(Page 20) — Bear Grass - Flathead River. Photo by: International League of Conservation Photographers
(Page 20) — Flathead River, North Fork. Photo by: Joe Riis
New Mexico: Otero Mesa
(Page 22) — Otero Mesa - Grasslands. Photo by: NMWA
(Page 23) — Otero Mesa - bird. Photo by: NMWA
Wyoming: The Red Desert
(Page 24) — Adobe Town - Skull Creek Rim. Photo by: Dan Hayward
Page (25) — Adobe Town. Photo by: Dan Hayward
Western Colorado: Thompson Divide
(Page 26) — Thompson Divide - CO. Photo by: EcoFlight
(Page 27) — Mt Sopris - Thompson Divide. Photo by: Greg Watts
Wyoming Range
(Page 28) — Wyoming Range Upper Hoback. Photo by: Dave Showalter with aerial support from Lighthawk.
(Page 29) — Wyoming Range, Lease Block. Photo by: Jared White
Page 30 — Arches National Park - Arches NP. Photo by: Betsy Weber
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The Wilderness Society
Too Wild to Drill
31
For more information please contact:
Bob Ekey, Senior Director, Energy Campaign
(406) 586-1600
[email protected]
Jennifer Dickson, Communications Director, Energy Campaign
(303) 650-5818
[email protected]
Neil Shader, Communications Manager, Energy Campaign
(202) 429-3941
[email protected]
July 2013
Cover photo: Jared White
Our mission is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.
1615 M Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
32
(202) 833-2300
wilderness.org
The Wilderness Society