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2011 Annual Report Dear Members of the Wyoming Outdoor Council

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2011 Annual Report Dear Members of the Wyoming Outdoor Council Annual Report 2011 Working to protect public 44Years lands and wildlife since 1967. p4 Protecting 2011 Board Our Land Kathy Lichtendahl, President Clark Janice Harris, Vice President Kyle Duba, LightHawk Aerial Support Laramie Tony Hoch, Secretary Laramie Keith Rittle, Treasurer Laramie Tom Bell, Emeritus p7 Lander Protecting Harold L. Bergman Laramie Our Air Rich Brame Lander Kate Fox Scott Copeland Images Cheyenne Terry R. Jones Wheatland Beedee Ladd Wilson John Parr Cheyenne p8 Barbara Parsons Protecting Rawlins Our Water Anthony Stevens Wilson 2011 Staff Scott Copeland Images Laurie Milford Executive Director Richard Garrett Energy and Legislative Advocate Bonnie Hofbauer Office Manager p9 Steve Jones Watershed Protection Program Attorney Protecting Nathan Maxon Our Wildlife Energy and Public Lands Fellow Lisa McGee National Forests & Parks Program Director Kathy Lichtendahl Chris Merrill Communications Director Sophie Osborn Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Program Director Bruce Pendery Staff Attorney and Program Director p10 Linda Sisco Administrative Coordinator The Politics Gary Wilmot of Energy Associate Director Jamie Wolf Outreach Coordinator 2 Wyoming Outdoor Council • 2011 Annual Report Dear Members of the Wyoming Outdoor Council, In last year’s annual report, we wrote about the relief Wyoming national forests. We began our campaign to keep oil and gas saw in spring 2011 from the ongoing drought. 2012 couldn’t stand development off the Shoshone National Forest in the early in greater contrast. In Wyoming we were done skiing by mid- 1990s. Due to myriad reasons, including market forces and March, fruit trees bloomed a month early, temperatures rose to successful advocacy from our staff, the number of oil and gas record highs before Memorial Day, and scores of wildfires, a few leases on the Shoshone has declined. There are no producing of them national priorities, ignited across the state. wells on the forest today, and our goal is to maintain this The fact that the climate is changing may not be proven by condition if possible. Wyoming’s ongoing drought, but the tinderbox conditions A word about our approach: In asking the Bureau of Land do remind us to heed the climatologists: This is how global Management not to sell certain parcels of public land for energy climate change would look in this region of the country. These development, we are selective and consistent. We ask the weather extremes may illustrate the possible longer-term agency not to offer acreage that is important for biological or changes we face if we fail to reduce our collective greenhouse social reasons—it’s crucial sage-grouse habitat, for example, or gas emissions. Here at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, we it’s a special spot enjoyed by Wyoming people. We’re targeting recognize more and more that the work we do to conserve the places that are most important in holding on to the “wild” in landscapes may preserve some adaptability in ecosystems “wild West.” The BLM has commended us for our focus. under future stress from higher temperatures and less water. Ultimately, we work toward administrative protection for the Adaptability in Wyoming’s natural world is important for a host landscapes described here and many more. But until we have of reasons. Our natural heritage depends on it. Our society and the forces in place needed to achieve safeguards in perpetuity, quality of life do too. And so does our statewide economy— the disciplined prevention of leases before they are issued active, outdoor recreation, for example, brings more than $3.6 helps us to maintain the health of Wyoming’s wild, open spaces, billion annually in retail sales and service across Wyoming, even as the climate changes. This vigilance is keeping some of adding up to 17 percent of our gross state product. Add to Wyoming wide open. With your help, we intend to keep it up. , these numbers the value of the services provided by intact ecosystems in Wyoming: clean air and water, water storage, Sincerely, viable wildlife populations, pollination, healthy soil for food Kathy Lichtendahl Laurie K. Milford crops, and many others. President, Board of Directors Executive Director One of the ways in which the Outdoor Council conserves landscapes is to resist oil and gas development in highly targeted places—places where the agencies know we’re going to engage fiercely. In the Red Desert, for example, because of our opposition to leasing in the Jack Morrow Hills, a lease has not been issued since the 1990s. Should the Council continue its advocacy, as we plan to, only 26,800 acres of leases will remain in the Jack Morrow Hills by 2018, down from a high of nearly 226,000 leased acres in 2006. In another of the Red Desert’s landscapes, Adobe Town, the BLM offered nearly 11,000 acres of oil and gas leases in three lease sales finalized in 2011. The Council challenged the leasing of Adobe Town parcels in each sale, and the BLM decided in the end not to offer any of these parcels. In its decisions, the BLM cited issues the Outdoor Council raised in our comments The 2011 Wyoming Outdoor Council staff, back row from left and protests. We have also challenged successfully oil and gas to right: Linda Sisco, Bonnie Hofbauer, Lauire Milford, Gary leases in other sensitive areas of southwestern Wyoming. Wilmot, Richard Garrett, Nathan Maxon, Steve Jones. Front Further north, the Wyoming Outdoor Council has been row from left to right: Chris Merrill, Sophie Osborn, Lisa Mc- working for decades to limit oil and gas leasing in our state’s Gee, Jamie Wolf, and Bruce Pendery. wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org 3 Protecting Our Land A historic opponent of the roadless rule and the threat of wildfire, for example, occur was a party to a lawsuit challenging in the front-country portions of our achievement: The it. In response, the Wyoming Outdoor forests, in areas called the “wildland- conservation of Council, represented by Earthjustice, urban interface.” That is where forest intervened on behalf of the Forest health projects are most appropriately roadless areas Service to defend the merits of the targeted—where the money is better The backcountry areas of our national rule and the process by which it was spent—not backcountry roadless areas. forests, also known as “inventoried put into effect. Further, the notion that roadless areas roadless areas,” have been in More than a decade of uncertainty create de facto wilderness is far from the administrative and legal limbo for more followed. Wyoming’s legal challenge truth. Snowmobile travel continues than a decade. The year 2011 brought found favor with a Wyoming federal unabated in roadless areas. And, an end to the controversy and reinstated district court that enjoined the rule in roadless areas where there are the protections that these areas deserve. nationwide. But in legal challenges existing roads or two tracks, summer The Wyoming Outdoor Council is elsewhere in the country the rule was motorized travel may still occur. proud to have played a part in this upheld. The decision that resulted The roadless rule provides balance nationally significant achievement. from Wyoming’s original challenge to and wise management of our forest Roadless areas are special and the rule was appealed. The Wyoming backcountry. For all of us whose lives are increasingly rare. In Wyoming, national Outdoor Council retained its position enriched by the presence of and access forest roadless areas account for just as intervenors in defense of the to the backcountry lands on our national 5 percent of our state’s acreage. They Forest Service. In 2011, the 10th forests, the reinstatement of the rule is comprise some of the best wildlife Circuit Court of Appeals reversed something to celebrate. habitat anywhere and are popular and the Wyoming court’s decision, accessible places people go to hike, instructing it to lift the nationwide Public plans for camp, bike, horsepack, hunt, fish, and injunction it had placed on the rule. generally enjoy our national forests. And, A later decision also denied the state of public lands as is often said: They’re not making any Wyoming’s request for reconsideration, We helped convince the Bureau of Land more of them. making clear that the rule is now valid Management to establish a resource Recognizing their value, the Forest and in full force. This is a historic advisory council as a way to make Service issued the Roadless Area conservation victory. management of public lands more Conservation Rule in 2001. The rule transparent and accessible to the public. was motivated not only by conservation Dispelling the myths The Outdoor Council participated in the interests, but also by common sense. nominating process for the resource The existing national forest road about roadless areas advisory council. We have attended network was extensive—too vast, in State and local elected officials in every meeting of the new group to fact, to allow the agency to manage Wyoming continue to criticize the advance relationships with members. it, given its budget constraints. Thus, roadless rule. Most of these criticisms, The group’s first project will be to the rule sought to prohibit new road however, are unfounded. For example, cooperate on the Rock Springs area land- construction as well as commercial- the rule does not prevent the Forest use plan revision, which should be out in scale timber harvest (an activity Service from pursuing projects related draft form by 2013. that almost always requires road to forest health. There is a specific construction) on roughly 58 million exemption in the rule that allows for Wind River Basin acres of national forests deemed the thinning of small diameter trees in The Lander BLM released its draft 20- “roadless,” which includes more than roadless areas, if necessary.
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