Better Planning for National Forests Needed

The Bridger-Teton National Forest spans three counties in western Wyoming. The Bridger-Teton offers incredible hunting opportunities and unparalleled hiking, camping and skiing. The Forest also attracts tourists from around the country and the world to see its myriad wildlife species including elk, deer, moose, grizzlies, wolves, lynx, bald eagles, sage grouse, and countless other species. But today, the Bridger-Teton National Forest faces grave threats from industry. We are working to prevent the industrialization of our National Forest.

Protecting the Wyoming Range
Wyoming’s namesake mountains, the Wyoming Range, offer unparalleled hunting, angling and recreational opportunities but they have been increasingly threatened by oil and gas drilling proposals. Located entirely within the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the 100-mile range is home to elk, mule deer, four species of cutthroat trout, sage grouse, grizzlies and wolves and abuts the Gros Ventre Wilderness. The Wyoming Range also forms the southern leg of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – one of the last remaining intact temperate ecosystems in the world.

In recent years there has been a massive boom in oil and gas drilling in southwestern Wyoming. Thousands of acres have been developed, fundamentally changing the character of Wyoming. The Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field, to the east of the Wyoming Range, have been experiencing rapid rates of industrialization. In fact, a recent BLM drilling proposal received the EPA’s lowest score as it will have significant impacts on air and water quality.

In an effort to protect this area a bill was introduced into Congress last fall, which would remove much of the range from oil and gas leasing. At a time when Wyoming’s special places are threatened by increasingly aggressive energy exploration, this bill would protect 1.2 million acres from future oil and gas leasing and would provide current leaseholders the opportunity to sell their leases back to the government.

Protecting the Wyoming Range will enhance the tourism, recreation, and sportsmen opportunities within the region and forever preserve the Wyoming Range as a key part of Wyoming’s natural heritage. Many outfitters and businesses in the area rely on the Wyoming Range’s unparalleled habitat and recreational opportunities to sustain their business.

A unique collaboration of hunters, anglers, sportsmen, recreationists and conservationists came together to work toward passage of a bill that would protect the Wyoming Range for future generations. In addition, the bill enjoys bipartisan support from state and federal elected officials. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, the Wyoming Travel and Tourism Board, and major newspapers support protecting the Wyoming Range.

Take Action: Bridger-Teton Seeks Comments on Oil and Gas Proposal
Right now, the Forest Service is deciding whether to lease 44,700 acres on the eastern flank of the Wyoming Range for oil and gas drilling, even though a bill to protect the Wyoming Range hasn’t had a chance to move through Congress yet.

In 2005, the Forest Service and BLM first began offering leases in the eastern flank of the Wyoming Range to oil and gas companies. The Forest Service and the BLM sold 44,700 acres of popular recreation lands and important wildlife habitat to oil and gas interests. But the Forest Service and the BLM relied on outdated environmental analyses in deciding to issue the leases and a coalition of groups was successful in protesting the leases and temporarily suspending them.

Despite the groundswell of voices supporting permanent protection of the Wyoming Range for future generations, the Forest Service is currently re-visiting their original leasing decision for the eastern flank. The Forest Service might hand these 44,700 acres over to the oil and gas industry before the bill has a chance to move through Congress. But hopefully, the Forest Service will recognize how special this area is and will opt to withdraw them from leasing.

Your voice and input can make the difference. Write to the Forest Service today. Comments are due on April 28, 2008.

Send comments to:
Stephen Haydon, Forest Minerals Staff
Bridger-Teton National Forest
340 N.Cache
P.O. Box 1888
Jackson, WY 83001

Or electronically to: comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us

Feel free to use the sample letter as a springboard for your own, personalized comments.

Sample Letter:
I am writing to ask you to cancel the leases for 44,720 acres of the Wyoming Range for oil and gas development, originally issued in 2005 and 2006. Because these leases are in a contested status as a result of successful protests and appeals, the Forest Service has the unique opportunity to make a critical decision. I am asking you not to lease these parcels.

These acres are the eastern gateway to the Wyoming Range, containing prime moose, deer and elk habitat, blue-ribbon fisheries and unlimited recreational opportunities. I believe the best use for this part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is to keep it the wild, backcountry paradise Wyoming people and the nation value.

Over the past several years the public has made its wishes known: we want this place off limits to oil and gas development. Hunters, anglers, ranchers, elected officials, labor union members, tourism groups, recreational users, homeowners, conservationists and many other concerned citizens have worked tirelessly to see that Congress passes the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which would protect the range from future oil and gas leasing. I am asking you to respect the voice of the people and to not authorize new oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range.

Talking Points for Inclusion:
The Forest Service should not consider leasing 44,700 acres for oil and gas drilling while a bill is moving through Congress to protect 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range from oil and gas leasing. A diverse coalition of hunters, anglers, recreationists, tourism interests, conservationists and elected officials came together in an effort to protect the Wyoming Range for future generations.

If we can’t protect the Wyoming Range – a crown jewel of rugged, wild mountain wilderness in our National Forest system – from industrialization, then there’s no hope for balanced and responsible energy policy in our nation. Some places are too special to drill.

Southwestern Wyoming has experienced a boom in oil and gas drilling in the last few years. In fact, the massive increase in drilling has led to a series of ozone warnings for Sublette County in the middle of winter. Local citizens have expressed concern over health risks associated with natural gas drilling and sent a petition to the Governor asking for an independent assessment of plans to expand drilling in the area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also voiced concern about the elevated ozone levels in the area. Leasing another 44,700 acres in the county for oil and gas drilling will only exacerbate environmental health and air quality problems.

The Wyoming Range is home to elk, mule deer, four species of cutthroat trout, sage grouse, lynx, grizzlies and wolves. Oil and gas drilling on the range could disrupt critical wildlife habitat and migration routes through road-building, air and water pollution, and noise disruptions.

Bridger-Teton Forest Plan Heats Up
The Bridger-Teton National Forest recently announced a round of public workshops for communities on the southern portion of the forest. Although no decisions will be made at these meetings, they provide a good chance for forest users with diverse interests to come together and discuss different scenarios relating to forest planning.

The meetings will take place on:

April 23: Kemmerer; Ambulance Barn – 611 Onyx St., 4:30pm – 8:30pm
April 24: Rock Springs; BLM Rock Springs Field Office – 280 Hw., 191 North, 4:30pm – 8:30pm
April 28: Pinedale; Rendezvous Pointe Community Center – 425 E. Magnolia St., 4:30pm – 8:30pm

Additionally, the Summer Travel Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Bridger-Teton National Forest is expected out in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more information.