As Deer Decline, Energy Development Comes Under Fire

By Dr. Rollin D. Sparrowe
3-27-07
NewWest

The recent release of research findings from the fifth year of vital studies of mule deer use of the Mesa on the Pinedale Anticline has again produced a customary "spin-doctoring" that has characterized the debate over Wyoming's wildlife affected by energy development.

Headlines like "Mesa Herd Stabilizes" published in local newspapers do a disservice to both deer and the interests of Wyoming deer hunters.

The facts, however, are that: 1. There are fewer than half the deer using the Mesa in winter than there were five years ago; 2. There is no evidence that any meaningful numbers of those deer have "just gone elsewhere" (as was suggested in 2005 by the federal Bureau of Land Management which is supposed to have oversight that protects the herd); and 3. New data show that only two percent may have emigrated from the Mesa, but that 27 percent of the total reduction in use can be attributed to energy development activities.

These findings confirm that while many other factors affect deer, energy development activity is an important contributor to the reduction in use of the Mesa by deer.

But let's get even more to the point.

We just experienced a tough deer season in Western Wyoming. Northern Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin deer hunters had trouble finding any deer, let alone good bucks. The common question at check stations and in the mountains was: "Where are the deer?"

Movement data on deer that winter on the Mesa show that many of them moved into the Northern Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin. Since there were much fewer deer in that segment of the Sublette Deer Herd on the Mesa in winter, should it surprise us that the quality of deer hunting in those connected areas has declined sharply?

The "stabilization" claim is based on the fact that deer on the Mesa have numbered about 2,800 for two years, and didn't decline further—yet. But remember, five years ago there were almost 6,000—should we therefore be happy with half a herd?

Of greater significance is that new data show reduced reproductive success in the Mesa herd versus neighboring herds. This adds up to bad news for the future of this deer herd, those who love to hunt deer in the Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin, and those communities that rely on the economic benefits from hunting.

A MATTER OF HARSH SURVIVAL

As a wildlife biologist with the federal Bureau of Land Management assigned to the agency's Pinedale office, Steve Belinda tried continuously to call his superiors' attention to impacts on mule deer, ponghorn, sage grouse and other species caused by an expanding footprint of gas drilling. But he says his concerns were constantly ignored and he was marginalized. Finally, he resigned in disgust and went to work as a staff expert with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Belinda is also a committed sportsman. This photo was taken in spring 2005 on the Pinedale Anticline while Mr. Belinda was still employed by BLM. Today, thousands of new gas wells are proposed for the Mesa area of the Anticline mentioned in Sparrowe's essay. The Wind River Mountains loom in the distance. Photo by Todd Wilkinson.

A MATTER OF HARSH SURVIVAL

Drought, predators, houses, roads, and other factors that influence these deer have been a part of the mule deer world for a long time, but during previous drought and periodic severe winters, Mesa deer have been able to use the Mesa and adjacent habitat to cope with winter snows, wind and extreme cold. Now they cannot do that.

What is new and NOT natural is the high level of human disturbance and change int he landscape brought on by energy development.

The real issue is not arguing over which influence is worse than the other, but given the likelihood of periodic harsh Wyoming winters, can these deer still survive and recover?

We may well get an answer soon. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department warned us this year that even with moderate winter, current poor forage conditions make a die-off likely, so protections from winter disturbance are extremely important. Mule deer are now at a crossroads where they are clearly in trouble under heavy development pressure.

It seems clear that some part of energy development has to be scale back or deer and deer hunters will lose even more than they already have. And yet, the signs are not good—leasing to drill on migration and summer ranges threats the REST of the annual deer habitat.

Recently, the BLM had to withdraw proposals for leases near Merna because they had NOT evaluated their importance to Mesa deer. There has been an uprising of hunters and outfitters opposing further development in the Wyoming Range.

When petititioned last spring by the citizen-based Pinedale Anticline Working Group (whose formation was promoted by the BLM as a form of outreach to citizens and user groups) to adopt goals of no further reduction in this herd, BLM REFUSED.

All that was proposed by BLM was to get the BLM, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, industry and other interested publics together to consider what might be done differently to ease the pressure on this herd.

BLM promised to "work with the Game and Fish Department to find ways to assist the herd." This winter, the BLM released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Pinedale Anticline based on a proposal from industry that will include a major increase in activity on parts of the Mesa in winter.

This is apparently in trade for less activity elsewhere. Hunters and others must examine this proposal carefully. Is more winter drilling the best we can expect from the key federal management agency?

NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

This bad scenario for mule deer is being re-enacted elsewhere, such as the Atlantic Rim in southcentral Wyoming, Piceance Basin and Roan Plateau in Colorado, and Book Cliffs in Utah and Colorado.

No one has the ability to evalucate the effects on mule deer of tens of thousands of well sites in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. This fast pace of development is cutting at the very heart of some of the most valued mule deer locations in the Northern Rockies and none of our agencies are fully taking care of our interests.

Residents and nonresident hunter dollars are the biggest support base for Wyoming wildlife programs.

It is time to quit being satisfied with "half a deer herd."

Hunters should demand nothing less than action from government and industry to arrest the decline of the "stabilized" Mesa Herd and assure that the same decline does not happen in other key mule deer herds.

Partners in the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership have devleoped a set of principles to assist wildlife through the onslaught of energy development. They may be viewed at http://www.trcp.org

We welcome partnership with hunters, anglers, organizations, businesses and everyone else who cares about the future of mule deer and other wildlife affected by energy development. We say it is not being "done right"—mule deer are a prime example and half a mule deer herd is not acceptable.

Energy development is a serious issue in the west right now, as much of the undisturbed countryside is being tore up to extract the mineral/gas resources as fast as possible.

A good hunter organization has formed to protect this valuble area in Wyoming. I would ask anyone who cares about wild country and wildlife to join the Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range.

Unlike the worthless Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (who in my opinion are a worthless POS group that does nothing for the resource, and has supported oil/gas development in the past) these guys are the voice for hunters and anglers.

MG

Same thing is happening on my favorite elk hunting grounds in northwest Colorado. Wells being drilled all over the place, roads being pushed into country that never had roads before. Roughnecks poaching deer, elk and antelope year round.

I don't know what the answer is though. We need the energy, but I don't know if I like having the wild lands destroyed to get it. Most of this is happening on Federal land like BLM in my hunting area and I don't believe that there is much the state can do about it.

Mac

I worked in the oilfield in the early 80's. I was a hotshot driver and traveled all over the area including as far as Coalville, Utah up to northern Idaho and no farther east than the Powder river basin. At the time there was no discernable effect the oilfield had on Deer and Elk populations. But the true problem was just beginning, the drought. The bonus was roads were built that allowed use by sportsman without horses into areas even horses couldn't reach in a reasonable amount of time. The winter of 92/93 also hit mule deer hard, while elk were not affected nearly as bad and they took over areas that were traditionally dominated by the Mule deer that were almost wiped out. The Mule deer have never completely recovered their areas. Add the wolf into the equation and another large problem arose. Blame the oilfield all you want but you will be ignoring what truly manages wyoming game populations, the weather, disease and predators.

I'll blame the oilfield workers too. Most of them come from the south with a different set of ethics and views on conseravation that we have in the west.

I have heard so many people in the oil business talk about shooting any big animals they see season or not.

Well rick, I would say you are wrong (and right). The overall deer populations for this area are down 50%+. It is not that way on other ranges within 30 miles of the Mesa. They are down 15-25%. The only real difference between the Mesa and the other areas is Energy Developement. Believe what you will, but when you stress animals on an already stressed habitat you get severe reductions in animals.

Habitat and other enviornmental issues are a definate problem, but the stress these animals are receiving in these areas because of energy developement is the real problem for certain herds. (Poaching, public access, and habitat fragmentation are extreme in these areas.) The numbers don't lie.

Look, this is just a thought, so please don't anybody get to sore at me.

I was wondering how many of us (meaning fellow hunters,) are 20 or more pounds over weight, and use a fancy 4x4 v/8 pickup and an ATV, and a generator in camp, etc, when hunting? We as consumers are the problem I am thinking.

I know I am at least 20#'s over, I drive a Ford pickup that gets 10mpg in the winter, and I use a 2 stroke outboard motor to hunt in the fall. I know that in my case it's too bad I don't take my hiking boots a little more seriously.

If we are against development I think we should stop supporting it with our dollar.

I'll wager that reintroduction of wolves has effected deer populations way more than energy development. One of the best areas of the State of New Mexico for big mulies is right smack in the middle of one of our nation's biggest natural gas fields. There're wells and pipelines all over that area and lots and lots of deer.

Hopefully, not everyone is as naive as Toomany Tools and RickT....they need to pull their heads out from their asses and actually look with their own eyes. The development going on in the Jonah as well as the Mesa is criminal.

All Is Not Well In Paradise

In the last half decade, our nation’s appetite for oil and gas has opened up crucial chunks of mule deer winter range to development, carving roads onto sagebrush-cloaked ridges and eating up thousands of acres of critical wildlife habitat with drill pads, holding tanks, reserve pits and other infrastructure. Human activity, from workers at well sites, to eighteen wheelers on new roads, has caused significant damage to this famed mule deer herd, cutting the herd by half according to a study completed by Hall Sawyer, West, Inc., 2005. Today, the unprecedented development on mule deer winter range at the toe of the mountains will negatively impact tomorrow’s mule deer hunter. A large portion of the famous Sublette mule deer herd summers on the Wyoming Range; development in the high country hammers big game during a crucial time when they need to be storing fat for the upcoming winter season. Industrial development in both summer and winter ranges is a sure recipe for the end of a world-renowned sporting legacy. The opportunity to shoot a wall-hanger buck during hunting season is being lost because the country where that buck once spent his winter and his summer now is an inhospitable industrial development. Unfortunately, the hunting for both mule deer and elk will likely never recover, at least in the lifetimes of our grandchildren.

Feeding our nation’s appetite for oil and gas is an important factor in Wyoming’s economy. But some places should simply be off limits to such development. One of those places is the Wyoming Range. Yet despite the fact that the Wyoming Range is an outdoors haven for all kinds of recreationists, the U.S. Forest Service still wants to open large chunks of the range up to development. Already, some 150,000 acres of the range have been leased for oil and gas development. An additional 44,600 acres has been leased in 2005 and 2006 on the eastern edge of the range.

Oil and gas development means new roads into pristine country. It means drill pads in the headwaters of some of the most pristine streams in the state. It means big rigs, human disturbance and industrial impact. It means the end of traditional ways of making a living in the range: from outfitting, to our hunting and fishing heritage, to ranching, to local businesses that make a living from our outdoor resources.

You're partially right John, but I grew up in the area of which you speak. Two decades ago you could buy a license over the counter and have a pretty good shot a decent buck. Now you have to apply for a tag and you may or may not see a decent buck. They're still there, but the massive development has pushed them much further back than ever. And, in my opinion based on many observations, the huge number of roads contributes to sloppy road hunting and poaching. So yeah, there are still deer there, but I believe the gas/oil development is negatively impacting both the quantity and the quality of the deer. If we had winters like those in Wyoming, I bet you'd see a much more negative effect of the combination of that and energy development. Don't get me wrong, I like my gasoline and warm house, and both my brothers make their livings in the gas industry in northern NM, but at some point we've got to say "Enough is enough."

I suspect that the reason for the decline of the Mule Deer is not as simple as we all would think as the decline of the Mule Deer in North East California is an issue with many unaswered questions.

There has not been the oil and gas development of Wyoming. Traditional migration routs have not be altered, there has been very little road development, and most hunting is controlled by very restrictive tag distribution.

While the Mountain Lion is protected, the decline started long before the protection went into effect.

In the X5B zone, the wild horse and burro has had some effect on the habitat, but It can't be blamed for the downturn in the other zones.

To the contrary, I have observed the very large number of Mule Deer (including some monster bucks) in and around the farming area and State Hunting Reserve in Shasta Valley. Here we have lots of private land, and the reserve is open for waterfowl and pheasant hunting only.

Lots of questions, few answeres

Now, just calm down there, Madgoat. I didn't say there wasn't any problem with energy development. You're reacting emotionally and I don't blame you; I would too if my hunting grounds were declining that fast.

What I am saying is that there are more factors involved and I don't believe that energy development is the biggest problem. If that makes me "naive" then so be it. You don't know me from Adam and it's your prerogative to think and say what you choose.

In my opinion, greedy state governments which ignore species population realities, allowing entirely too many people to hunt and asinine predator reintroduction programs led by idiots have way more negative impact than energy development. Maybe because I spent over a year wearing our nation's uniform in the DG Persian Gulf AO also leads me to give indigenous energy development somewhat of a small pass. If we were energy independent I don't think we'd be in Iraq right now, but that's a different debate.

Madgoat, your grasp of game management is pretty weak. Your just a hermit and you don't like any new faces in Wyoming. Get out of your truck and put some hiking into your hunting and you might see more deer. The decline of the mule deer has been documented and lamented for 20 years. By the way the worst examples of poachers I ever met were from Superior, Wyoming. They generally worked in the oilfield too.

quote:

What I am saying is that there are more factors involved and I don't believe that energy development is the biggest problem. If that makes me "naive" then so be it.

Well have you ever been to this part of the world? In the middle of winter? Not a fun place to spend any time out of doors. Here, energy developement is the #1 PROBLEM!!



This is the Jonah field, south of Pinedale. If you think that activity like this doesn't screw up wildlife winter ranges and migration routes you're crazy. The rest of the nation doesn't realize that when they turn their gas on, this part of the world pays the price.



This is a photo of the Mesa. Thousands of deer spend their winter here, from November to the first of March, ass deep in snow. This is critical winter range, as in, if they don't have this piece of ground they don't make it. This is harsh country, below zero for months at a time while the snow just keeps on piling up.

quote:

In my opinion, greedy state governments which ignore species population realities, allowing entirely too many people to hunt and asinine predator reintroduction programs led by idiots have way more negative impact than energy development.

You're obviously not from here, have no clue about this part of the world, and it shows. The Wyoming G&F is trying its best to convince the BLM to keep drilling activity on the Mesa during the winter months at a mum. The BLM just doesn't care. As for the whole wolf issue as you claim "causing a negative impact", it won't matter because after the Mesa is trashed these deer have no place else to go. For some of you retards, predator management is a bigger problem than crucial winter range...????? Maybe some of you need a drilling rig in the middle of your grocery store! That's how it looks from the mule deer's point of view!

MG

quote:

Originally posted by rickt300:
Madgoat, your grasp of game management is pretty weak.[QUOTE]

Go back to shooting your zoo animals...

[QUOTE] Get out of your truck and put some hiking into your hunting and you might see more deer.

That is even MORE funny coming from someone who lives in a state that believes you hunt deer by sitting in a blind over a bunch of corn you dumped out behind a high fence!!

quote:

By the way the worst examples of poachers I ever met were from Superior, Wyoming. They generally worked in the oilfield too.

Probably oil field transplants from Texas...

MG

So, now we're "retards" because we don’t agree with everything you say. Your emotions are getting the best of you.

Face the facts: You're talking about what amounts to a very, very small part of the West that just happens to be your backyard. So roll out your NIMBY attitude and call people names--people who basically agree with you on most of the issue. Try to get a grip on your emotions and stop the name calling; it should be beneath you.

Energy development is of critical strategic importance to our nation and just because some of it is interfering with your recreational opportunities you're going to alienate those who should be your allies? I absolutely do not like the fact that we have to do this in our country. I’ve spent months in the Southwest Asian deserts and developing energy there doesn’t disturb anything but sand—but we don’t own that sand. We’ve got to become energy independent and that in many cases is going to cause us to sacrifice some things. I feel bad that a small part of that sacrifice is your favorite hunting grounds—I really do., but the fact is we MUST do it.

Come down here to NM and I’ll try to help find a nice buck for you. It won’t be the same as your beautiful Wyoming but it might help you some.

I don't recall using the word "retard", but I am saddened how misinformed many of you are.

I also feel sorry that many of you have never been up in this part of the world during the middle of winter to watch mule deer in below zero temperatures eat frozen stems off of sage brush for weeks at at time.

Then we locals get the joy of new assholes, who work for these oil/gas companies, moving into our neighborhoods. Generally speaking (99%) of these folks have no value on the wildlife or wildlands that they are destroying in the quest to make a quick buck. Their sole purpose in coming here is to rape and pillage as quickly as possible, then they leave as soon as it all dries up so they can go attach their leech like bodies somplace else.

What are we then left with? Oilfield shit left everywhere! Roads criss crossing the countryside! Decimated winter range! Destroyed migration routes!

Toomany, I'm glad you're living in a dreamworld where none of this is in your backyard, because if it was, and if you really knew what is going on here you would be singing a different tune.

MG

My invitation is open to you. Come on down and while we're hunting deer I'll show you the Nation's largest natural non-offshore gas field and if we have time we’ll swing through Eastern New Mexico and have a look at oil fields that cover thousands of square miles. You're not the only one who's sacrificing. Like I said, I don't like it but I also know from first-hand experience that it is absolutely necessary.

For Christ's sake, we've been in a shooting war for going on five years, and we've been in a holding action for over 15 years to protect oil reserves which we are dependant on. We either develop our own resources or we kneel down at the Arabian alter. I know which one I'm going to support and if that means I have to look for a new place to hunt then so be it.

If you think this is my "dreamland" at least I paid for it; what price have you paid for yours?

quote:

Originally posted by Madgoat:

What are we then left with? Oilfield shit left everywhere! Roads criss crossing the countryside! Decimated winter range! Destroyed migration routes!

Plenty of Wyoming has already had this, not a pretty sight. Then there's the fact that the oil guys limit access to public roads while they're drilling. Officially it's a liability concern, in practice I think it's more like they would rather we didn't see what a mess they make. I didn't see any wildlife in the gas fields near Big Piney either. Nada.

quote:

Originally posted by Toomany Tools:

For Christ's sake, we've been in a shooting war for going on five years, and we've been in a holding action for over 15 years to protect oil reserves which we are dependant on. We either develop our own resources or we kneel down at the Arabian alter. I know which one I'm going to support and if that means I have to look for a new place to hunt then so be it.

The mess in the Middle East is partly of our own making; the guys who are selling this war don't usually mention that, instead get hysterical about 'patriotism' when somebody brings it up.

The cost of oil is the economy's way of letting us know it's time to do something different. The Oil Age isn't over yet but the age of cheap oil might be. You may live to see the end of large-scale oil extraction in the USA.

We're running out of new places to hunt.

TomP,

You are spot-on--we certainly own a big portion of the mess and it is time to do something different, thus energy resource development here at home in spite of the mess it can make.

We need to put very strict controls on the way the development is carried out to minimize the mess and over-sight is a must. So, to circle back to my original point, current reality (maybe my "dream world") is that we NEED energy; we don't need wolf reintroduction and we don't need to let so many people hunt as to put game animal populations in peril.

quote:

We need to put very strict controls on the way the development is carried out to minimize the mess and over-sight is a must

Problem is that hasn't been the case here and elsewhere on public lands in the West.

It's been an all out race to get the infrastructure in place ASAP before the politics of it changes, which is what is happening now.

How fast on the Anticline?


By WHITNEY ROYSTER
Star-Tribune environmental reporter Thursday, April 05, 2007

JACKSON -- Scientists and environmental groups' consultants say a proposal to dramatically increase natural gas drilling on the Pinedale Anticline is rushed and lacks assurances the environment will be protected.

Industry representatives, meanwhile, say the intense, year-round development would allow extraction of gas to be over more quickly, meaning areas could be reclaimed faster. They also say their plans call for use of technologies and practices intended to reduce impact to the environment.

The nearly 200,000-acre Pinedale Anticline is one of the biggest natural gas resources in the country, holding about 25 trillion cubic feet of gas -- enough to heat 10 million homes for 30 years. The area also contains prime habitat for wildlife.

Bill Alldredge, a wildlife biologist formerly with Colorado State University who was asked to review the proposal by conservation groups, said the plan to allow 4,399 more wells on the Pinedale Mesa would result in "massive industrialization" in the heart of mule deer and pronghorn habitat. Alldredge spoke during a Monday news conference organized by the groups.

He also said the Bureau of Land Management -- the agency writing an environmental analysis of the project that is subject to public comment through Friday -- has underestimated impacts in the past and should focus on a less intense, more moderately paced drilling scenario.



The proposal would increase development from 1,139 wells now authorized to 4,399 wells. It would also bump the amount of initial surface disturbance up from 4,484 acres now authorized to 12,278 acres, but in a concentrated strip down the center of the Anticline.

There are now about 500 wells on 348 well pads, scattered on the Mesa. A 2000 decision limits well pads to 245 through 2011, but subsequent BLM decisions have allowed energy companies to bump up those numbers.

Diana Hoff, general manager for Questar's Pinedale division, has said her company, among others, submitted the proposal to BLM to manage the Anticline field into the future, in an attempt to get ahead of development and plan for the effects and the reclamation. She was not available for comment Monday.

Steven Hall, spokesman for the BLM's Cheyenne office, said the proposal aims to consolidate infrastructure including roads and pipelines to disturb as little as possible.

Responding to criticism the document does not go far enough to ensure reclamation is adequate, Hall said the BLM has create new language calling for "course corrections" if reclamation falls short of wildlife's needs.

The BLM's preferred proposal is a tweaked version of industry's proposal. While industry wanted the BLM to waive seasonal stipulations for big game, the BLM's proposal would retain some seasonal restrictions.

But both proposals are similar in that they allow for a massive "core" -- nearly 19 square miles -- of intense development. Areas outside that core would be reclaimed and available for wildlife, habitat fragmentation would be reduced, and companies would institute a liquids gathering system that would eliminate thousands of truck trips onto the Mesa each year.

And, most seasonal stipulations would be waived so companies could drill for natural gas year-round. Currently, year-round activities require special permission, which the BLM has granted in many instances.

Industry officials say year-round drilling would allow for southwest Wyoming communities to plan for the impact of drilling rather than witness the problems associated with seasonal workers. It would also be more stable for companies, as they could maintain a year-round work force and equipment.

Companies coming forward with the proposal include Questar, Ultra Resources Inc., Shell Exploration and Production, Wexpro Co., BP America, Stone Energy and Yates Petroleum.

The BLM acknowledged in its study that the operators' proposal "could cause significant adverse impacts to the human and natural environments." At a recent public open house for the proposal in Pinedale, no one spoke in favor of the BLM's or operator's proposal.

Alldredge said the reclamation proposal falls far short of what is needed to maintain wildlife populations. Reclamation would involve grasses and forbs, rather than the shrubs and other forage more nutritious for mule deer and antelope. And, he said, the current proposal assumes reclamation will be swift, when many scientists believe sagebrush takes 50 to 100 years to reclaim.

"The wheels of ecological succession grind very slowly," he said.

Clait Braun, a sage grouse expert formerly with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said sage grouse may be hurt the most by the current proposal.

Regulations call for a buffer of at least a quarter mile from sage grouse nesting areas, but Braun said even three to five miles of development around leks is "impactful." He said there needs to be at least a mile buffer, and the core development area will be useless for sage grouse.

He said the birds now on the Mesa will be eliminated from the core development areas, and the rest will eventually leave because of the intense development.

"There really isn't any rational, scientific hope that sage grouse populations are going to persist" on the Anticline under the proposal, he said, calling it a "prescription for extinction."

Sage grouse have been considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Air quality experts said some thresholds will be exceeded under the proposal -- namely, larger particulate matter (a contributor to smog) and nitrous oxides. According to the BLM's document, most air quality impacts would be reduced under the current proposal because of requirements for companies to install tighter emission control measures as development progresses.

quote:

Clait Braun, a sage grouse expert formerly with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said sage grouse may be hurt the most by the current proposal.

And guess what, regulatory Armageddon is nearly upon them in the form of a listing of sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

Congress will soon hold investigative hearings on the Administrations manipulation of the ESA and the agencies involved.

It's gonna be nasty.

Hopefully the Sage grouse will get its listing.

I personally would rather pay $8 gallon for gas and $6 lb. for beef and have wolves, cougars, mule deer and sage grouse then continue to listen to the whining from developers who could care less about wildlife.

What is unfortunate is that their arguments about "economic effects" and "job security" are often believed by the "masses" who vote.

Conservatives used to be about the truth and what was right-- now it seems they've joined the liberals in selling their souls for the mighty dollar.

I guess if you can't beat em,-- join em', eh?

Flame away!!

IV

Funny Madgoat your small world introspective. Where I live now is being drilled mercilissly for natural gas. I don't like it but since I ownd 180 acres I am going to be making a big chunk of money really soon. There Are 19 rigs on my property right now and let me tell you it is not pleasant. Since you live in Wyoming you can't reap any financial gain from drilling on BLM lands. In alaska you would reap some benefit but your own elected officials pocket your cash and you bitch at us? Remember it will all be done in ten years or so and life will return to normal, except for the fact people won't stop having kids and people need this energy and space that you are so fond of trying to call yours. Move somewhere else if Wyoming problems bother you so much. All the people working on the rigs aren't from out of state. The oilfield comes and goes, the discomfort you feel it gives you is what you pay for the fact that America runs on energy and when the energy gives out we fall.

Hey Rick...

Glad to hear you're getting rich off your land while being screwed up the ass....way to go.

Actually we (Wyoming residents) do reap the rewards of drilling on BLM lands...our state (with Alaska) is one of two in the nation that doens't have a debt. It comes with a very costly price, as our world renoun wild spaces become trashed. Hell, why we're at it, why not drill Yellowstone?

Yea, most of the folks (95%) who work on rigs are from out of state. Most are from Texas or Oklahoma. You wouldn't know this fact, being in Texas and all. I could have beat a fucking Texan the other day who had a bumper sticker saying "drill earth first, we'll drill the rest of the planets later".

Here is a fact: Most folks look at Wyoming as a desolate wasteland. Why try to preserve anything here when there is money to be made? Who gives a shit about wildlife or wild places when there is one of the largest natural gas reserves found anywhere under our soil? Who gives a shit when Wyoming IS the Saudi Arabia of coal? Who gives a shit, that we have a oil shale reserve that is MASSIVE under SW Wyoming?

For people like yourself Rick, you have nothing invested here, so who gives a rats ass right? Get your money, get your fuel, and get the fuck out. We've seen several "BOOM AND BUST" cycles here before and they are all the same. Stupid assholes like yourself spout off about patriotism, doing this for the greater good of our country, and the need for cheap energy. They claim they are working to "minimize impacts" as they screw stuff up. What do we get?

Wyoming folks get stuck with oil field trash left everywhere 30 years after the field dried up, roads on ever hill and in every draw, polluted over flow ponds, trashed wildlife habitat, empty houses, depressed economies...you can sit there in your plush house in TX and armchair quarterback all you want, I just hope you get ass screwed like we do on your little place there...then maybe you'll get a taste of false promises and smoking mirrors.

MG

Yup, cowboy up and like it. Your sniveling to us asholes isn't going anywhere. Rest assured when the drought eases, the sage looks good again there will be plenty of Mule deer. I don't consider Wyoming a wasteland. On the other hand there are more oil rigs within 50 miles of my house than there are in the state of Wyoming. They will go and all will be well then.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad when folks say they don't want to be dependent on Middle Eastern oil; develop ours.......well sure....production is on the decline on Alaska's north slope so they want to open up ANWR.....I would appreciate any of you oil experts explaining, just the facts, no spinning allowed, why the oil companies on the north slope were only required to keep 17% of north slope oil for domestic use, while the rest was shipped overseas all these years......how has that helped us become less dependent.....but oil companies are our friends, eh?.....jmho....

Joe

Another thing to consider is that the populations of the Whitetails are higher then ever on the east coast even with the building boom.

The big difference is that we have had more rain then usual and mild winters. No draught here.

RICKT300,

One thing you fail to take into consideration when you compare Wyoming/Colorado/Montana etc... to Texas is WINTER RANGE. Let's face it, the average Texas whitetail hasn't seen more than 6 snowflakes in it's entire life. Good weather and feeding programs will allow deer to accomadate almost anything. We don't have either in the Rockies.

Mule Deer and Elk are migratory animals and must move from the high country to lower winter range to survive. They must contend with snow several feet deep for months at a time after their respective rut. Mule Deer rut in late Nov or early Dec and they go into winter in pretty bad shape. When the winter range is being assaulted by drilling, it compounds the stress to the animals. These are factors your whitetails do not have to deal with.

Another factor to consider between the deer in the Rocky Mountain states and Texas is that it is illegal to set out corn for the deer. Lots of deer in Texas are fed corn and grain to artificially keep their numbers beyond the capapcity of the land. Deer are treated almost like livestock in large areas of Texas, but are still wild animals in the Rockies.

In the Rockies, nobody is feeding them, they still have lots of predators to deal with and they have severe winter weather to face every winter. They simply are unable to deal with the compunded effects of over drilling. If it doesn't slow down, mule deer numbers will crash again. I for one don't want to see it happen.

Mac

quote:

Originally posted by Madgoat:
How fast on the Anticline?

By WHITNEY ROYSTER
Star-Tribune environmental reporter Thursday, April 05, 2007

JACKSON -- Scientists and environmental groups' consultants say a proposal to dramatically increase natural gas drilling on the Pinedale Anticline is rushed and lacks assurances the environment will be protected.

I've seen the 'protection' we're disussing, it's mostly protecting the rigs from gazing tourists and hunters who might complain about the mess being made. Blah, blah, blah. Hurry up and drill before people get wise to what's going on, is what it sounds like.

This discussion would have more bite if we were to frame it in terms of which pronghorn areas are affected.
Is this Area 90? How many cattle troughs will be trashed by oilfield pollution of the water wells? Is anyone making a projection, or just hoping nobody remembers to ask?

It's worth noting that the California prohibitions on new drilling do not come from preconceived notions; the oil industry was a welcome source of revenue until it became just too damn messy. It is a learned behaviour, not a prejudice.

quote:

Originally posted by rickt300:

Funny Madgoat your small world introspective. Where I live now is being drilled mercilissly for natural gas. I don't like it but since I ownd 180 acres I am going to be making a big chunk of money really soon.

You're going to need all that money to fix your water well later, or maybe to move to Dallas.

Meanwhile, I am already paying $3.30 a gallon for diesel. I'd as soon pay a little more and still be able see something when I pay it out to take a hunting trip in Wyoming.

As for winter range, these areas are far more useful to the Mulies if the sage is in good shape and tall. In 1980 I took many pictures around southwestern Wyoming and the sage is at least 2 1/2 feet tall almost everywhere. Look at it now, it is so short that the small cactus on the ground is easy to see and is covering much more area. The sage also looks overgrazed in many areas. Add to this that much of the property right up to the mountains around any creek or river is privatly owned and they are running cattle on it. These properties are situated so as to deny access to much more property that is publicly owned. As to winter feeding there is a lot of hay put out on these private properties but the landowners are alloweed to shoot deer and elk if they feel the animals are taking more than the share they want to give. The Mule deer do two things when the season starts, they either get so far back in that you can't access them or they get on private property early in the season. Makes for a tough hunting season. Key points here; quality of sage in winter range is crucial, much access to the better huhnting is just not there, cattle are a greater stress on the range than the oilfield. Look for areas that have lots of good sage and you will find deer.

quote:

Originally posted by rickt300:
As for winter range, these areas are far more useful to the Mulies if the sage is in good shape and tall.

Cows don't help. And if the sage is poor, why add stress in the form of trucks running back and forth servicing drilling rigs? Leave the winter range alone for now; maybe when the time comes when we must drill, it won't be in the middle of a drought.

quote:

As to winter feeding there is a lot of hay put out on these private properties but the landowners are alloweed to shoot deer and elk if they feel the animals are taking more than the share they want to give.

What the heck are you smoking?

quote:

These properties are situated so as to deny access to much more property that is publicly owned.

Hunting access in this part of the world (Wyoming Range, Hoback, and Pinedale front) is excellent. As good as access gets!

quote:

The Mule deer do two things when the season starts, they either get so far back in that you can't access them or they get on private property early in the season.

Sounds like you need to get off your four wheeler more.

quote:

cattle are a greater stress on the range than the oilfield

Sure, if these cattle tear up 20 acres at a time to put a well pad in. ALso if they drive truck, roustabout, grade roads, and make a lot of pollution...that is a big problem here too....
Maybe you need to get up this way in January, and take a look with your own eyes, that pull stuff out from your ass. I don't know where you get these ideas from, but is isn't from spending any time in this part of the world.

MG

MG

I have never seen this side of you before!

The developement is doing one thing, makeing some one rich!

The reprecussions are going to be as bad as the wolves is on elk, if not worse, because of the destruction of wintering grounds. Couple that with the large increase in poaching from the rig hands and developers, and we all lose. It is out of control. The developement, I hate that word, the trashing of that area of Wyoming is unreal. All you have to do is pass through that area in the dark to truly realize what is going on and it will sicken you. At night it looks like a city out there.

The only good that will come from it is money in a few peoples pockets, all short term gains, with long term loses!

I have seen the destruction over the past 5-7 years and it is absolutely unreal. The absolute fragmentation of the Mesa and surrounding areas is a travesty. The pressure by poachers, more access is extreme. Then the BLM shuts down the public lands until May 15 (it used to be May 1) to help the wildlife. That only creates a shed hunting/poaching paridise for oil field workers.

Whitetails in Texas compared to mule deer in Wyoming.?. Give me a break.

Too bad you state government has always been a sell out for special interests like Oil, outfitters , cattle, coal and sheep. Madgoat choker it's nice to see you haven't changed. Get a job, save some money and move if things are so bad in Wyoming. The rigs will leave sooner or later and things will return to normal but access has been reduced in the area since there is so much private land now on the bottoms. It doesn't take 20 acres for a drilling pad but you just like to bitch on the internet don't you. Next time you see a couple thousand sheep go thru take a look at the sage, now there is a range problem.

quote:

Originally posted by rickt300:
It doesn't take 20 acres for a drilling pad but you just like to bitch on the internet don't you.

The pad they pay for isn't anywhere near the size of the area that is disturbed.