by Steve Thomas
 

The Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests have once again proposed extensive oil and gas leasing programs in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. When combined with oil and gas leasing proposals for the Targhee and Beaverhead National Forests, these latest proposals put Greater Yellowstone under siege.

Now is your opportunity to tell the Forest Service to stop trying to lease virtually every available acre for oil and gas exploration.

The Shoshone has proposed making available for lease some 950,000 acres - 98 percent of non-wilderness areas, including 85,000 acres of prime grizzly habitat - to oil and gas leasing.

Meanwhile on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Forest Service is starting a leasing process which could lead to oil and gas fields in the beautiful Hoback Basin south of Jackson Hole, the Moccasin Basin near spectacular Togwotee Pass, and the Upper Green River area south of Union Pass.

These areas sustain world-class wildlife, scenic and recreational values. Some are priority grizzly bear habitat, while others contain important wildlife winter range.

Once leases are granted, it is virtually impossible to stop drilling and full-field oil development.

On the Shoshone National Forest, the Forest Service is working to approve an exploratory oil well in the Brent Creek area, north of Dubois, Wyoming. This region is wildlife rich with grizzly bears and elk. Note: this is the area the Washakie wolf pack calls home ..  Ralph Maughan.

The Shoshone National Forest's overall proposal is to lease nearly 1 million acres. GYC and other groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the Shoshone's Oil and Gas Leasing Plan. Groups involved in the lawsuit include the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Wyoming Wildlife Federation, and the Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning are involved in this challenge. While the lawsuit is pending there have been no leases awarded although there have been several applications.

Meanwhile on the Bridger-Teton (B-T), there are some 1.9 million acres available for lease. The latest B-T proposal includes opening several management areas) totaling 370,000 acres for oil and gas leasing. While the B-T considered this of only "local" interest, we believe these areas are of high local, regional, and national importance.

Moccasin Basin, in the B-T, is 35 miles northeast of Jackson and contains both prime grizzly bear habitat and crucial big game winter range. The 8,000 acres of Moccasin Basin nominated for lease are within habitat that is critical for bear recovery.

Just south of the Gros Ventre Wilderness and west of the Bridger Wilderness there are 30,000 acres under consideration for lease. There are significant air quality issues in this area as a result of increased oil and gas development farther south in the Green River Basin.

In addition, the Forest Service is proposing studying leasing in the Upper Green River area, adjacent to both the Gros Ventre and Bridger Wilderness Areas. The valley contains a blue ribbon trout fishery hand provides habitat for four threatened and endangered species.
These management areas are in pristine, high alpine country which we believe is inappropriate for these kinds of industrial activities. Leasing these lands to oil and gas development will compromise some of our most outstanding wildlife, scenic, and recreation resources. Nothing less than full Environmental Impact Statement analyses are warranted for these proposals.
 

How You Can Make a Difference: Write a Letter Today To the Forest Service

• Write a letter with your comments to:

Rick Anderson
Bridger-Teton Forest
P.O. Box 1888
Jackson, Wyoming 83001.