Too Wild to Drill Report

7/28/2019 Too Wild to Drill Report

1/17

Too Wild To dill


2/17

Too Wild to Drill

Contents

- Introduction 4

- Places Protected 5

- Utah: Arches National Park 6

- Alaska: Arctic National Wildlie Reuge 8

- New Mexico: Chaco Canon 10

- Utah: Desolation Canon 12

- Colorado: Greater Dinosaur Region 14

- Virginia: George Washington National Forest 16

- Caliornia: Los Padres National Forest 18

- Montana: North Fork o the Flathead River 20

- New Mexico: Otero Mesa 22

- Woming: The Red Desert 24

- Western Colorado: Thompson Divide 26

- Woming Range 28


3/17

Te Wilderness Society oo Wild to Drill

The Wilderness Society hassuccessully worked to protectwild places and balance energy

development since 1935. Here are someplaces that are too wild to drill, whichwere highlighted in previous editions othis report. Thanks to the work o TheWilderness Society, other conservationorganizations, and most o all the localpeople and groups who worked to savethese places, they are now protected oruture generations.

National Petroleum Reserve AlaskaIn 2012, the Department o Interior released a newplan or managing the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, in the American Arctic. This Reserve ishome to thousands o caribou, polar bears, andmillions o nesting birds.

Under this plan, more than 70% o accessible oilwill still be available or companies to drill or butat the same time, more than 11 million acres including 95% o the most critical wildlie habitat is being kept o limits to drilling, and the well pads,roads, and pipelines that come with it. This is one othe best and biggest examples o striking a balancebetween conservation and energy development.

Carrizo PlainCaliornias Carrizo Plain National Monument wasone o many wild areas threatened with oil and gasdrilling by the Bush administration. Drilling herewould have threatened more than a dozen o themost endangered species in America, includingCaliornia condors. The Wilderness Society and

other organizations urged the Bureau o LandManagement (BLM) to ensure exploration anddrilling, even on existing leases, did not harm thisvalued place.

Fortunately, the BLM recognized that Carrizo Plainshabitat needed to be protected rom the poundingand explosions used or seismic exploration, aswell as drilling, requiring in-depth environmentalanalysis to ensure the monuments resources werenot harmed. In 2010 the BLM released a Resource

Management Plan that prioritized purchasinprivate mineral rights within the monument,to protect it rom uture harm. Carrizo PlainNational Monument and the wildlie thatlive there are sae rom the damage o bothseismic exploration and drilling.

Vermillion BasinAnother success story comes rom Colorado

Vermillion Basin, more than 80,000 acres owide-open sagebrush vistas, desert canyonsand delicate multicolored badlands. VermillBasin lies at the heart o a region that hostsa wide diversity o wildlie ranging rom biggame species such as pronghorn and muledeer to majestic golden and bald eagles.The area is also steeped in a rich culturalhistory, as exemplied by Vermillion Canyonwhich showcases one o the most spectacul

collections o petroglyphs ound in ColoradVermillion Basin came under severe threatunder the Bush administration in 2007 whena BLM drat resource management planproposed opening the entire pristine basinto damaging activities including oil and gasexploration. But in 2011 the BLM nalized aplan to keep oil and gas development out o

Vermillion Basin or the next 15-20 years.

Rock Mountain FrontMontanas Rocky Mountain Frontwas on the ront lines o oil andgas drilling or decades. However,thanks to work with decision makersand partners in the region, morethan 400,000 acres o wild landsare permanently o limits to oil andgas drilling.

There is still more work to bedone to protect the rest o theRocky Mountain Front, but or

now, some o the best wildliehabitat in the lower 48 states isprotected orever rom oiland gas drilling.

When Americans think o theGreat Outdoors, we think aboutsome o the wildest places in

he world. We envision towering trees,ushing wateralls, and jagged peaks. Weream o meandering streams teemingith sh, lush elds o wildfowers,nd scampering wildlie. What weont envision are mazes o pipelines,cre-wide well pads, and drilling rigsominating wild places.

cross the country, the drivedevelop and drill more

nd more land is strong.echnological advances, likeacking, have opened up

eviously unavailable oilnd gas deposits to drillers,nd have made nameske Bakken, Eagle Ford,nd Marcellus part o themerican lexicon.

midst this drive to drill,ompanies are looking orore places to put a wellad, new roads to get theilling equipment in, and

ew pipelines to get the oilnd gas out. There are publicnds where guided energyevelopment is appropriate,aces with ewer confictsth wildlie and recreationalers. But there are alsoaces where drilling does not belong. Places thate homes or birds, elk, and caribou. Places whereh swim in crystal-clear rivers, and amilies hike

nd camp. Places that are Too Wild to Drill.

Wild Heritagemericans value the untamed, open spaces old public lands. In a recent poll, 65% o peopleid protecting wildlands to make them availabler uture generations is a very important priorityr lands managed by the ederal government. Ine same poll, 76% o respondents agreed thatere are places that are too special to open tol and gas drilling.

Millions o Americans enjoy the great outdoorsevery year. These lands are places or escape,adventure and recreation. Nearly hal o allAmericans participated in outdoor activities likehiking, camping, and wildlie watching in 2012.These activities drive a powerul economic engineas well outdoor recreation contributes $646 billionto the American economy annually, and supportsmore than 6 million direct jobs.

Striking a BalanceTo strike the right balance on our public lands, we

must put conservation onequal ground with energydevelopment. Right now,millions o acres o Americanlands are already under leaseby the oil and gas industry.Oil and gas companies

hold leases on more than38 million acres o publiclyowned ederal lands anarea the size o the state oFlorida. In some o theseareas, energy developmentproceeds with littlecontroversy because confictsare minimal.

But there are many placeswhere the natural benetso the area outweigh thescant amounts o oil and gasthat could be ound. Theyarent household names like

Yellowstone or Yosemite yet. They are places thathave some o the most

spectacular views, are sources or critical drinking,water supplies, and are home to wildlie like elk,bears, and caribou.

This report highlights twelve such p laces, where thenatural values and wildness o these lands will betreasured by uture generations. These places aretoo special to be opened to oil and gas drilling; tooimportant to be threatened by dusty roads, leakypipelines, and disruptive well pads.

The twelve wild places in this report deserveprotection or uture generations and are toospecial to develop They are Too Wild to Drill.

Places PoTecTed:


4/17


in the heart o Utahs red rock country,Arches National Park is a wonderlando literally mind-bending stone

ormations. The Park has more than twothousand natural stone arches, includingthe iconic Delicate Arch, as well ashundreds o other towering spires andns. Casual visitors can wander the parkand visit arches, hikers and backpackerscan explore its backcountry, and expertclimbers can tackle its rocks, all dierentways to experience this rugged and wildcountry.

Unortunately, oil and gas companies see the areaaround this impressive natural wonder as anotherplace to drill, which would harm the park and those

who want to experience it. A multi-year ght tokeep the industry rom drilling on the doorstep oArches is not over yet.

Jim Gale, National Park RangerJim Gale has spent the last 35 years working inparks across America and in other parts o theworld creating educational materials, designingvisitor centers, and exploring their trails and wildareas. Gale has now joined Park Rangers or OurLands to have a greater voice in protecting parksand other natural areas rom the damage o oil andgas development.

I have enjoyed the beauty and quiet o wild placesin our national parks, and I want uture generationsto have this experience. We need to do everythingwe can to make sure we create opportunities orpeople to connect with nature. Our National Parksprotect Americas treasures, our natural and culturalheritage, and we need to insure their protectionrom the harm that comes rom oil and gas drilling.Arches National Park should not be surrounded by

drill rigs. It seems obvious but apparently we needto keep reminding the oil and gas industry and theederal government, so Park Rangers or Our Landswill do just that.

Economic BeneftsThere are ways or anyone and everyone to enjoyArches National Park. The National Park Serviceleads tours, as do commercial outtters, and o

course people can explore its canyons, archbeauty on their own by car, bike, horsebackArches draws expert climbers and photograand a host o international travelers. More thmillion people come to visit the park each yspending time in and around nearby Moab, as many o the other nearby parks and townbrings more than $100 million to the economeach year. These visitors are coming (and stato experience the park and its expanse o nabeauty; they are not coming to experience ao oil and gas wells and unhealthy air rom d

Threats to Arches National ParkIn late 2008, leases were proposed on the bArches National Park. Only a successul lawsconservation groups, including The WildernSociety, stopped the Bureau o Land Managrom completing the sale. The travesty o thlease sale led to signicant reorms to the eonshore oil and gas leasing program, so thapublic (and the National Park Service) now hgreater role and chance to weigh in beore lare sold. The reorms also established the mleasing plan program to address and resolvconficts with national parks and other imporresources, like wildlie habitat and wildernesvalues, in advance o leasing and developmindustry is still ghting or the chance to leasdrill these lands. The agency and the public have a chance to make sure they dont.

How to protect Arches National PaThe Bureau o Land Management is now prea master leasing plan to manage the areas aArches National Park, as well as CanyonlandNational Park. This plan must protect the araround these parks rom leasing and drillingconsider the impacts o what drilling near thwould have on them.

Tah: aches NaTioNal Pa


5/17


Far to the north, above the ArcticCircle, lies Alaskas Arctic NationalWildlie Reuge. Spanning the peaks

the Brooks Range mountains to they waters o the Arctic Ocean, the Arcticational Wildlie Reuge is one o the

most pristine places in the world.

he coastal plain o the Arctic Reuge is the heartthis unspoiled wilderness. Gray wolves and

ctic oxes patrol the tundra, and hundreds oongbirds and waterowl nest in the grassy hillocks.erhaps the real stars o the Arctic Reuge are theousands o Porcupine caribou that migrate to the

oastal plain every year to give birth to the nexteneration o calves, though this area is also known

be important habitat or polar bear dens andher marine mammals, such as whales and seals,at spend time in the reuges coastal lagoons andong its barrier islands.

ut the Arctic Reuge is at risk rom oil companiesnd their allies in Congress that want to open

the coastal plain to drilling straight through thebiological heart o the Reuge.

Robert Thompson ActivistRobert Thompson is an Alaska Native activistwho lives in the village o Kaktovik within theboundaries o the Arctic National Wildlie Reuge.Ater spending more than 20 years making his livingas a ur trapper near Alaskas Lake Minchumina,Thompson opened his business, Kaktovik ArcticAdventures. He now acts as a guide, taking peopleto view polar bears and rat down rivers in thewildlands o the Arctic Reuge.

My people, the Inupiat, have lived in this Arcticregion or thousands o years. Our culture is basedon hunting activities both on land and in the ocean.Our culture depends on a clean environment. Forthe oshore areas to be exploited or oil is notacceptable to me. The act that my people live hereis directly related to the marine en vironment. Thecentral part o our culture is the bowhead whale.An oil spill could mean the end o the whales and

our culture. It is my sincere belie that i peopleknow what is here, they will want to save it. I amoptimistic and do believe a movement is about tohappen, and people will do what is required so thatuture generations will be able to enjoy the ArcticNational Wildlie Reuge as we know it.

Economic BeneftsAlaskas wild lands are a major draw or outdooradventurers. Hunters and anglers experience world-class sh and wildlie, and hikers and backpackerscan experience terrain that is nothing like whatthey can nd in the lower 48 states. Places like the

Arctic National Wildlie Reuge might be remote,but the untrammeled tundra is a draw or heartybackpackers and hunters looking to experience thewildest o Alaskan adventures. There are adventureshere that cannot be experienced anywhere elsein the world, such as camping among thousandso caribou, or rating down the Hula Hula river incomplete solitude.

Outdoor recreation in Alaska spurs more than $9.5

billion in economic activity nearly one-thAlaskas total gross domestic product. Outdactivity also provides jobs or 92,000 Alaskanmore than $2.6 billion in wages and salaries

Without permanent protection or the coast

o the Reuge, a vital part o the Alaskan ecowould be diminished orever.

Threats to Arctic National WildliReugeProposals to open the Arctic National WildliReuge to oil drilling go back decades inclthe high-stakes battle in Congress in the ear2000s. Just a ew months into the 113th Conthree bills to open the coastal plain to oil drhave been introduced. Alaskas governor, SeParnell, has also oered up to $50 million toseismic testing equipment into the Arctic Repotentially disturbing polar bears and cubs winter dens.

The native Gwichin people that live near thReuge depend on these caribou in many hunted caribou make up most o their diet. Tcoastal plain o the Arctic Reuge is sacred tthey call it the place where lie begins.

Opening the coastal plain o the Arctic Reu

oil drilling would jeopardize their entire cult

How to protect the Arctic NationWildlie Reuge: The U.S. Fish and WildService should nalize its plan or managingArctic National Wildlie Reuge, and recommthat the coastal plain be designated wildernCongress should also act, and pass legislatioadd the coastal plain to the National WilderPreservation System.

lask:

cTic NaTioNal WildliFe eFUge


6/17


along gravel road in the FourCorners region o Northern NewMexico will take you to the high

esert valley and cultural wonder thatChaco Canyon. Once inhabited orsited by a number o Native Americaneoples, including the Navajo and Hopiho still hold these places sacred, theanyon is home to some o Americas

most abundant and intact specimens and

rtiacts documenting the history o thisnce prosperous gathering place. Visitorsan experience the past in and aroundhaco through a setting that harkensack centuries, including a world-

enowned night sky that is truly timeless.

uebloan culture can be elt among the ruins thatmain in Chaco Canyon and the surrounding lands.

That landscape includes numerous internationallysignicant cultural resources, including portionso the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site andseveral congressionally designated Chaco CultureArchaeological Protection Sites.

The masonry work and ceremonial nds uncoveredin the Canyon have amazed researchers andarcheologists or years. The region has become ahotbed o historical and scientic d iscovery.

The continued exploration o the region andappreciation o this still-living culture are

threatened, however, by plans or oil and gasdrilling near park and historic site boundaries.

Dr. John Kantner, Ph.D. and RPA,archaeologist and VP or Academic &Institutional Advancement School orAdvanced ResearchChaco Canyon is one o the landmark monumentso human civilization in the American Southwest.

It was the cultural center or Ancestral Puebloans,and the gatherings that happened in Chaco Canyonhelp explain our own history today.

One o the most critical aspects o Chaco Canyonwas that it was built very purposeully. Allowingdrilling to take place here would be like allowingdrilling on the National Mall in Washington DC allo the buildings are aligned with one another alongthe cardinal directions, and have specic views ocosmic events like the summer and winter solstices.

The eects o drilling so near Chaco Canyon gobeyond just being able to see an oil derrick. Thehaze rom the wells, the dust that is kicked up bythe trucks driving back and orth to the wellpads all o these diminish the qualities o Chaco Canyonthat make it historic. Losing those means losing parto not just Native culture, but American culture.

EconomicBeneftsBecause o itsremote location,Chaco Canyondoesnt see thesame number otourists as a placelike YellowstoneNational Park. Butthat doesnt meanthat the park isnt aneconomic engine inits own right.

Visitors spendalmost $1 milliondollars in thearea every year supporting a dozen jobs in the park and 40 moreoutside the boundaries.

The area is also one o the best locations or

archaeology in the nation, attracting universitiesand experts to learn more o the Puebloan culture,and the importance that Chaco Canyon had tothe ancestral Puebloans. The Puebloan/Chacoanpeople built large stone buildings, arrayed in

alignment with the stars, in a way that modescholars are still studying. Putting the land inhands o gas and oil drilling would destroy tvaluable and timeless landmarks and the foauna that depend upon the land.

Threats to Chaco CanonThe Bureau o Land Management is oeringon lands right outside the park boundaries. developed, these leases would mar the viewthe park, and pollute the air in and around thistoric site.

Perhaps worse, other potential leases in the are in areas with unprotected Chacoan ruinswhich could be lost orever i leases are solddeveloped.

Leasing in tarea doesn

just threatencultural resoo Chaco Ca it also endplants and wthat dependthe area. Elkdeer, bobcarabbits, badporcupines,snakes, lizarand varyingspecies roamlandscape tthe Canyonfoor o piny

juniper woocottonwoodwillows, and

and wildfower populations.

How to protect Chaco Canon: Thcan take action to protect the area around C

Canyon by creating whats called a Master LPlan. This plan would identiy and evaulate tso that sensitive and culturally valuable areakept sae rom drilling, and areas more appror drilling can be leased.

eW Mexico: chaco caNyoN


7/17


carved by the Green Rivers windingcourse through red rock canyons,Desolation Canyon sounds like a

orbidding, inhospitable place. But thisretch o eastern Utah is actually andventurers playground o juniper andottonwood trees, multicolored rockspires, and ancient American Indian rockrt and archaeological sites. Its also a

magnet or river raters or its whitewater,cenery and history.

Desolation Canyon is one o the largest swaths ounprotected wilderness in the continental UnitedStates. The rugged terrain and geology make ita wondrous place or people to explore and orwildlie to thrive, but it has also become the targeto oil and gas drilling.

Recently, more than 1,300 wells were approved ordrilling in this wild canyon, some o them right up tothe edge o the river. This is in addition to the manymore active drilling sites near Vernal, Utah somany that visitors to Desolation Canyon oten cantnd lodging because all the hotel rooms are takenby oil and gas workers.

Tah: desolaTioN caNyoN

Herm Hoops River runnerThe drilling around Desolation Canyon isterrible or the rating indu stry. DesolationCanyon is one o the most beautiul, remote andwild places in the country, but its hard to drawpeople in when there isnt any place or themto stay beore their trip. All the rooms in Vernalare booked with oil and gas workers, so touriststhat want to run the river oten have to stay upto 90 miles away. And once they do nd a placeto stay, the drive to get to where the boatslaunch is estooned with oil and gas wells. Itsharder and harder to interest people in multi-day trips through Desolation Canyon with all othe development nearby. Other places in UintahBasin have already lost their wild character theview rom Fantasy Canyon in the Book Clis areais nothing but semi-trucks and gas wells. On topo all that, drilling uses up a lot o water here

in Utah, every bito water is criticalor the river, orthe wildlie, oragriculture and orthe people.

EconomicBeneftsBeing outside andactive in placeslike DesolationCanyon is a hugeboon to the Utaheconomy. Outdoorrecreation likerating, mountainbiking, and backpacking contributes $12 billionto the state economy every year, and supportsmore than 122,000 direct jobs. Many o theseactivities and the economic benets romthem depend on the protected wild lands inthe state.

Desolation Canyon provides importanteconomic benets. Sixteen river guidingcompanies take people down DesolationCanyon and dozens more private boating tripsare launched each year. More than 50% o thepeople using the river and wilderness are rom

Colorado and Utaha reminder that accessspecial areas like Desolation Canyon is part reason people move their businesses and ato these states. The economic benets woube even greater or the surrounding towns ilands were protected a recent study oundaverage, rural western counties have a per cincome that is $436 higher or every 10,000 o protected public lands within their bound

Threats to Desolation CanonIn June 2012, the Bureau o Land Managemapproved a plan to allow nearly 1,300 oil angas wells to be drilled in the Desolation Canarea. More than 200 o these wells would bedrilled in a part o Desolation Canyon so senthat it has been ound suitable or inclusion the National Wilderness Preservation Systemreserved or the wildest and most untramme

places. Withouprotection or wilderness, wiwater and rocko this area, it continue to berisk rom drillin

This sprawlingdevelopment occupy more tve square mio wilderness-quality lands awildlie habitanear DesolatioCanyon and comake already

dangerous levels o air pollution even worsepast several years have seen ozone levels spin the wintertime as a result o massive enerdevelopment already happening in eastern

How to protect Desolation Cano

The BLM should use its authority to preventdrilling any o the 200 wells proposed in thewilderness-caliber lands in the DesolationCanyon area. BLM should protect the wild nand cultural wonders o Desolation Canyon limiting wells to the right places and with theright saeguards.


8/17


The lands in and around DinosaurNational Monument are etchedwith history literally. Fremont and

te peoples let their petroglyphs andictographs on the sandstone walls anddden alcoves along the Yampa River;

he Dominguez-Escalante expedition 1776 brought the rst Europeans tosit the Green River and observe theeographic wonder o Split Mountain;nd Butch Cassidy and other outlawssed the remote basin o Browns Park tode out and plan their next heist.

oday the area attracts a dierent breed odventurer. Hunters and anglers fock to the landsound the Green and Yampa Rivers to seek outophy elk or to sh the world-class trout sheries.kers and backpackers enjoy the deep sandstonenyons and wildlie rich uplands, and each spring

nd summer, thousands o raters and kayakers pour

into the region to foat the Yampa and Green Riversthrough Dinosaur National Monument.

However, oil and gas drilling continues to encroach.As the lands around Rangely and Vernal becomemore and more leased, drillers are pushing deeperinto the heart o the region seeking the lastremaining undeveloped lands. This quest to leaseand drill every acre throughout Greater Dinosaur ishaving immediate consequences.

Leona Hemmerich Owner, TheBedrock Depot, Brontosaurus Blvd,Dinosaur, Colorado.Im not opposed to drilling but there needs to bea balance to it. Drilling, and potentially oil shale,requires a lot o water, and that water would comerom the Yampa River that fows through DinosaurNational Monument. Raters foating the Yampa area big source o business or us, losing water romthe river to go to drilling and oil shale developmentmeans losing sales.

olordo: geaTe diNosaU egioN I worry about the boom and bust o oil drilling;people move in, things get built up, and then theoil and gas are gone, but the buildings remain. Weown a gas station too obviously we need thingslike oil in the world, but you cant drill everywhere.Places like Dinosaur should be o limits to drilling.

People want tovacation in beautiulplaces they dontwant to vacation in anoileld.

EconomicBeneftsOutdoor adventureis a major source olocal economic activityin the area around

Dinosaur NationalMonument. Morethan 9,000 boatersfoated on the Whiteand Yampa Rivers last year, and the permit to foatthe Yampa through Dinosaur National Monumentis currently one o the most sought-ater riverpermits in the lower 48. Additionally, the area isconsidered some o the best big game huntingin Colorado and Utah. The area hosts some othe largest migratory elk and mule deer herds inNorth America, while also providing reuge or thethreatened greater sage grouse.

Oil and gas development threatens the growingtourism industry in the area. The thriving outdoorrecreation industry brings more than 192,000people to the area spending more than $6.7million annually and supporting numerous local,sustainable jobs.

Finding a balance between oil and gas drilling andconservation o wild public lands or recreation, andwildlie is critical to region protecting lands that

draw in tourists also protects the local economyrom the boom and bust cycle o ossil uelextraction.

Threats to Dinosaur National MonuOver the years, and over strenuous and otesuccessul objections, the BLM has issued doil and gas leases in the landscape that surroDinosaur National Monument. This has occu

in spite o repeobjections romNational Park and others conabout the poteimpacts o widdrilling on themonuments pnight skies andrecreation andopportunities.

In early 2013, BLM again atteto issue oil andleases perilousto Dinosaur. Olease would haallowed drillin

next to one o the monuments visitors centewhile others were right next to monument eroads.

While the BLM eventually reversed course othe leases sale keeping more than 22,000acres surrounding Dinosaur National Monumtemporarily sae rom drillingthe lands remopen to leasing.

How to protect the Greater Dinoregion:The BLM is now preparing a masleasing plan or the areaa step in the righdirection but it has signaled that it will resleasing around Dinosaur beore the MLP is The BLM must develop a plan that will protewilderness, wildlie and water that characterGreater Dinosaur. Further, BLM should not a

new leasing in the Dinosaur region until thisnished in order to protect sensitive wildli eand the rivers that fow through the region.


9/17


The George Washington NationalForest is home to wild nativebrook trout, black bears, and the

headwaters o the Potomac and JamesRivers that fow through two capital cities,Washington D.C. and Richmond, Va.One o the largest orests in the easternU.S., its more known or its rolling hillsblanketed with trees than it is or energy.But natural gas drilling, along withhydraulic racturing, or racking, couldbe coming to this wild orest.

This is a great concern to the 260,000 people othe Shenandoah Valley who get their water directlyrom the George Washington National Forest,and the 4.5 million people arther downstream in

Washington and Richmond who rely on the orestsclean, clear water rom the orest. Fracking usesmillions o gallons o resh water, the chemicalsused in the process are injected deep underground,and then wastewater (containing racking chemicalsand other substances) are stored in aboveground holding ponds, where leaks and spills canpotentially contaminate drinking water or millionso people.

George Neall owner o Plan B CaMy wie, Lisa, and I are the owners o Plan B,a community ca on Main Street in Broadway,

Virginia. One o the reasons we bought a small armin Fulks Run about 8 years ago is the water; its clean,abundant, and pollution-ree. And our arm backs upto the George Washington National Forest.

As a retired mining engineer amiliar withgeotechnical engineering, rock mechanics, andpractical mining, I have concluded that there aretoo many variables and unknowns associated withactual site conditions and the whole process o

racking or it to be considered sae. We worryabout the risks to ground water and surace water,the dramatic increase in heavy truck trac, poorair quality, land clearing, soil erosion and a host oother issues associated with racking.

Fracking in the George Washington NationalForest would jeopardize the air and water qu alityo the area, and threaten shing, hunting, hiking,camping, and sustainable orest harvesting. Without

things like timbering and energy productionbe in the Stone Age, but we also cant let thdestroy the quality o our lives now.

Economic BeneftsThe George Washington National Forest is aoutdoorsmans dream. Hikers can trod nearlytrails away rom the crowds that gather at neShenandoah National Park, and mountain benjoy more than 1,100 miles o some o the nest mountain biking trails.

Outdoor activities account or $13.6 billion ineconomic activity and more than 138,000 jobo this activity happens in the mountains o w

Virginia, just a ew short hours rom Washingt

Fly-shing or wild rainbow, brown, and nativbrook trout is a popular activity in the orestextreme water use rom racking could threapastime. Trout, especially the native brook tron only the cleanest water to live in contamrom racking could spell disaster or this ico

Threats to George WashingtonNational ForestThe U.S. Forest Service originally disallowedhorizontal drilling and racking or natural gasthe George Washington National Forest bouHowever, ater pushback rom the natural gasthe Forest Service began reconsidering its de

The biggest concern is that some o the cheused in the racking process could contamindrinking water or many communities. Hydraracturing is exempt rom the Sae Drinking WAct, and companies do not have to disclosechemicals they are using in their racking fuCommon additives include known toxins likebenzene and arsenic. As the racking fuid reto the surace, it also contains other substan(and even radioactive elements) that are nat

occurring ar below the earths surace but cdrinking water supplies or millions o peopl

How to protect the George WashNational Forest:The U.S. Forest Service should continue its bon horizontal drilling and racking in the GeoWashington National Forest, where the riskstoo great.

giNia:

eoge WashiNgToN NaTioNal FoesT


10/17


Just barely outside the Los Angelesmetropolitan area is a hidden gem oour national orests: the Los Padres

ational Forest. Covering more thanne and three quarter million acres, theos Padres is a haven or wildlie anddventurers alike.

he Los Padres was where one o the last wildaliornia condors one o the most endangeredrds in the world was ound and reintroduced;

nd nearly two dozen other endangered speciesside in the orest. Its one o the most biodiversendscapes in the world, with ecosystems rangingom coastal habitats to classic Caliornia redwoodroves.

owever, the hydraulic racturing rush is coming toaliornia, and companies are looking to rack this

wild orest to get to the oil deposits ar below thesurace. Drilling in the orest could have disastrouseects ar downstream the Los Padres is theheadwaters o ve rivers that make up more than 70%o the drinking water or the city o Santa Barbara.Water-intensive operations like racking couldleave the city and surrounding arms and vineyardshigh and dry. There is also a risk o groundwatercontamination rom racking and storage o the used

racking fuid, which is laced with industrial chemicals.

Chris Danch Forest Advocate and Co-Creator o the Condor Wilderness TrailThe Los Padres National Forest may be one othe most under-appreciated orests in the UnitedStates. People look at it and just see these scrubby,brushy hills and mountains they dont realize thatwhat theyre seeing is a chaparral ecosystem thatis one o the most diverse, resilient ecosystems in

the world. The Los Padres National Forest isalso one o the most pristine watersheds in theworld serving millions o people in a semi-ariddesert region. As I relax by, and in, the NorthFork Matilija Creek that perennially fows throughmy property, I am grateul or the incredibleaquier perched high above in the orest. Maybemost amazing is that here, just 60 miles rom LosAngeles, you can go into the orest and not seeanother person or more than a week.

This place is so amazingly special, I took eacho my children backpacking in the Los PadresNational Forest as soon as they were old enoughto carry a pack (age 4). Introducing them to sucha wild landscape at a young age is critical orcementing a love o wilderness and wild placesin them or their entire lives. There is also noquestion that their wilderness experience wasundamental to them becoming the outstandingadults they are today. And it was seeing the Los

Padres through my kids eyes that changed mylie, compelling me give up a successul ull-timelegal career to ocus on protecting this landscapeand sharing it with others.

We have a lot o places to be proud o, andprotect, in America, but wild places like the LosPadres National Forest are what we should beproudest and most protective o.

aliFoNia:

os Pades NaTioNal FoesT

Economic BeneftsThe Los Padres National Forest has somethior everyone. Coastal tidal pools are home totters and shorebirds, and elk, and black beprowl the mountain peaks, making the oreswildlie watchers paradise. Backpacking intoLos Padres backcountry provides amazing so

just 60 miles rom Los Angeles.

Outdoor adventures in Caliornia contributethan $85 billion to Caliornias economy, andsupport more than 700,000 jobs. These advdepend on places like the Los Padres NationForest being kept wild. Drilling in the Los Pawould threaten these adventures, and the ecbenets that come with them.

Threats to The Los Padres NationForest

The Los Padres National Forest is the main so drinking water or the Santa Barbara areamajority o the areas water starts in the hills valleys o the Los Padres. Water rom the orsupports two huge industries in Caliornia and winemaking. Tourism is also a huge drathe area, but tourists generally come to see not oil rigs.

The orest itsel is incredibly unique. Already875,000 acres o the orest are designatedwilderness areas the highest orm o proteavailable or ederal lands.

But leasing decisions in the area could openthan 52,000 acres to oil drilling. Drilling woulimited to 5,000 acres o surace occupancy,horizontal drilling and racking almost requirthe wells. Drilling would also threaten the ho the endangered Caliornia condor - threethe drilling areas are right next to essential chabitat.

The oil industry already has 180 operating w

less sensitive parts o the Los Padres they need to drill in ragile environmental areas.

How to protect the Los PadresNational Forest: The USFS and BLM shully consider the impacts o drilling in the wplaces o the Los Padres National Forest, anprohibit or restrict drilling where it would haserious impact on water and wildlie.


11/17


But or all the Flatheads exceptional above groundvalues, the North Fork is still not permanentlyprotected rom oil and gas drilling and hardrockmining below ground. The areas has been leasedby oil and gas companies in the past and it couldhappen again in the uture unless we work to passthe North Fork Watershed Protection Act, which iscurrently beore both chambers o Congress.

Stuart Reiswig owner/manager oPolebridge MercantileThe North Fork o the Flathead is our business people come to experience the pristine wild area.Its how our business survives. A lot o people stopin or our bakery, and or last-minute groceriesbeore they head out into the backcountry, sohaving a wild, undrilled backcountry is prettycritical.

We were here or about a year when theMemorandum o Understanding was signed

between the U.S. and Canada to protect theFlathead. The Canadian government has alreadydone their part to make sure that the Flathead isprotected rom energy development now its timeto pass the North Fork Protection Act and takedrilling o the table on the U.S. side as well.

Economic Benefts

The dominant engine driving the economy o theFlathead valley is no secret. About 2 million peoplevisit Glacier National Park and Flathead River valleyareas each year, injecting $100 million into the localeconomy and supporting 1,400 jobs. Each year,destinations like Glacier Park set new attendancerecords as more Americans fock to witness thespectacular view and wildlie o the area.

But the wild North Fork o the Flathead doesntjust attract tourists; its also a great place to live,

work and raise a amily. Montanas economygrowing and outperorming the broader U.Seconomy; in large part due to its outdoor amand protected areas. This competitive advanattracts new entrepreneurs and talent to theand helps grow the economy.

Threats to North Fork o theFlathead RiverFor a hundred years, companies have tried tenergy and minerals rom the ground beneaFlathead valley without success. Every decasaw a new threat on one or both sides o theinternational border which resulted in internconfict and newspaper headlines.

But thanks to international cooperation, Canand the U.S. are both working to protect theFork o the Flathead in their respective territCanada has already declared their portion o

the fathead o-limits to mining and extracti

On the U.S. side, ConocoPhillips, Chevron aExxon subsidiary XTO Energy have worked wMontanas Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tevoluntarily relinquish more than 200,000 acrmineral leases. Senators Baucus and Tester introduced The North Fork Flathead WatersProtection Act in the Senate and Montanas congressman, Steve Daines (R), introduced acompanion bill in the House o Representat

to permanently withdraw 400,000 acres o twatershed on the U.S. side rom any uture lor mining claims. Much o this would be in tFlathead national orest.

How to protect the North Fork othe Flathead River:Congress should timmediate action on the North Fork FlatheaWatershed Protection Act, and nalize theagreement to protect this wild orest.

oNTaNa : NoTh Fo oF

he FlaThead iVe

The North Fork o the Flatheadspans the U.S. and Canadianborder and orms the western

boundary o Glacier National Park. Itis one o the wildest river valleys inthe continental United States andlocated in a region named the Crowno the Continent or its clean waterand unspoiled orests, mountains andwildlie. The North Fork is home to oneo the densest populations o grizzlybears in the country and is a strongholdor disappearing native bull trout andwest slope cutthroat trout.

... having a wild, undrilled

backcountr is prett critical

Stuart Reiswig Owner Polebridge Mercantile


12/17


hidden on the Texas-NewMexico border near Carlsbad isAmericas largest remaining intact

hihuahuan grasslands, totaling over2 million acres. Otero Mesa, which sitsgh above the Salt Basin Aquier, oers alace or quiet refection and recreation,unting and cultural discovery.

housands o ancient petroglyphs andcheological sites can be ound on Otero Mesas

olcanic Cornudas Mountains, including severalins rom the Buttereld Overland Stagecoachoute.

ten reerred to as the Serengeti o the Southwest,tero Mesa is also host to many native wildli e

pecies, including mule deer, mountain lion, black-iled prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, the

plamado alcon, over 200 species o migratoryongbirds, and boasts the states healthiest herd oonghorn antelope.

In early 2001, the Bush administration and the oiland gas industry targeted Otero Mesa or drilling.Mining claims have also been staked in the area,putting added pressure on the land and wildlie.

Deni Semour archaeologistDeni Seymour is an archaeologist andethnohistorian who lives in Albuquerque, NewMexico. She has dedicated her lies work to thestudy o the lesser known indigenous cultureso the American Southwest. Now, as a ull timeresearcher, she studies the many mobile peoples

who called Otero Mesa home and exp lores theirmany connections to modern descendants.

Otero Mesa is the embodiment o what isimportant about the West. It is dicult tounderstand until you have stood in the middleo a vast unspoiled landscape, seeing nothing inyour entire world but grasslands ringed by ruggedmountains, as people have or millennia. Thequiet is as immense as the history is deep. Theconnection to the past and the uture is embedded

in a timelessness that lies still upon the plains.Seeing a pronghorn is a reminder o the rariedcadence o Otero Mesa. A dilapidated windmill, anetching on the rocks, a rough outline o someoneshome, all conjure thoughts o the past, the peoplewho lived, toiled, ought or, and died in thisremote land.

Economic BeneftsThe Otero Mesa Grasslands within the ChihuahuanDesert have long been recognized as specialby the State o New Mexico, ormer GovernorBill Richardson, numerous state legislators andscientists, tribaland religiousleaders,sportsmen,ranchers, andconservationists.

Sportsmen ndthis area especiallyappealing thanksto bountiulpronghornantelope hunting.These huntersbring much-needed revenueto local motelsand restaurants aswell as outttersand sporting goodstores. As theOutdoor Industry Association has noted, preservingaccess to outdoor recreation protects the economy,the businesses, the communities and the peoplewho depend on the ability to play outside.

Data shows that outdoor recreation generates morethan $6.1 billion in consumer spending, 68,000direct New Mexican jobs, $1.7 billion in wages andsalaries as well as $458 million in state and local tax

revenue.

The close proximity o Otero Mesa to the town oAlamogordo and protected areas like White SandsNational Monument draw visitors rom both nearand ar, meaning that these monetary values areincreasingly important and likely to grow in the

eW Mexico: oTeo Mesa

region when Otero Mesa receives the permaprotection it deserves.

Threats to Otero MesaFor more than a decade a number o unlikelhave stood together in calling or the permaprotection o this rare and beautiul grasslanas well as its reshwater resources within theBasin Aquier. From members o the MescalApache, to state elected ocials, to religiouleaders and conservationists, a wide array ohave asked or a long-term plan or Otero Mthat would ensure that its cultural, scientic a

ecological vprotected ogenerations

Since 1997,the Harvey Company da test well abase o AlaMountain, tbeen an oneort to ensoil and gas and miningnot permandamage theo this area.

The U.S. 10Court o Apissued a de

in 2009 on litigation brought by the State oMexico, state agencies and a number o congroups ound that the Bureau o Land Manadid not adequately consider potential impacoil and gas development. Furthermore, the ound that BLMs entire plan was fawed becagency did not consider an alternative to pro Otero Mesa rom oil and gas drilling.

How to protect Otero Mesa:A newrom the BLM or the region is under develoand until a nal plan is adopted, Otero Mescontinue to ace a growing threat rom e xtraindustries. The BLMs new plan should prohidrilling in Otero Mesa to protect its wild qua


13/17


The Red Desert o southwestWyoming is a remote, wildlandscape o multi-colored buttes,

ms, badlands, towering sand dunesnd vast open spaces. Wyoming citizensave sought to protect the area since898 - rst as a Winter Game Preserve,hen later as a National Park, National

Wildlie Reuge, wild horse preserve andNorth American Antelope Range.

his high, cold desert environment supports a largeversity o wildlie, including mule deer, antelope,rare desert elk herd, raptors and rare songbirds

ke Scotts oriole and the b lue-gray fycatcher.ands o wild horses roam this area o volcanic rockrmations, hoodoos and sand dunes.

om the oreboding badlands o Adobe Town toe continental divide at South Pass, Wyomings

ed Desert is a landscape chronicling the history

o the West. Native Americans requented the areaollowing migrating wildlie and let behind a richlegacy o cultural sites and petroglyphs. The Oregon,Outlaw, Mormon and Pony Express Trails crossthrough the area, and these lands were also thehideouts and haunts o such legendary characters asButch Cassidy and his Powder Wash Gang, JedediahSmith and Jim Bridge r.

However, oil and gas drilling are encroaching onAdobe Town and other parts o the Red Desert. TheBureau o Land Management continues to issue leases

in the area surrounding Adobe Town, threatening thewildlie and historical eatures o the area. Parts oAdobe Town and much o the Jack Morrow Hills areain the northern Red Desert are protected by the BLMas Wilderness Study Areas, but thousands more acresare still at risk.

Dan Haward, proessional photographerIve been a proessional photographer or over30 years, and I was blessed that we [mysel and my

siblings] learned a strong environmental ethic aswe grew up. As a photographer, and because owho I am, I have a strong connection to the plants,animals and the natural landscape as well as withthe energy you eel rom the natural world.

Photography is my livelihood, and its gettingharder and harder to photograph special naturalplaces like Adobe Town and the Red Desert thatdont have signs o human activity or development.Industrial development like that o an oil eld in anenvironment changes the landscape, oten disruptswildlie which then changes the areas fora, therebyaltering the entire ecosystem. Add in smoggy airrom the wells and dust rom trucks, and thereare some cases where you just cant get decentphotographs anymore.

It seems odd that such special and uniqueplaces like Adobe Town are threatened withdrilling when there are so many other places,especially previously impacted areas, where energyis available. As the relentless pressure to drill

yoMiNg: The ed deseTcontinues, I know that I need to document mo these special places now, because they wchanged orever.

Economic BeneftsWhile it might be o the beaten path, the ReDesert provides unique recreational opportuor hiking, hunting, horseback riding, scenidriving, rock hounding and birdwatching. AdTown in the south is a maze o multi-coloredpillars, arches and canyons or remote backcexploration. The Northern Red Desert incluthe vast scenic vistas o the Boars Tusk, SteaMountain, Oregon Buttes, Continental PeakHoneycomb Buttes and the Killpecker Sand and is comprised o seven BLM wilderness sareas. This area is prized or its big game huand access or many uses. Additionally, thearcheological, historical and cultural heritagRed Desert landscape is o national signica

remains in a relatively undamaged state.

Threats to The Red DesertSprawling over more than 400,000 acres, thegreater Red Desert is called the crown jeweo Wyomings desert wilderness. But much oespecially around Adobe Town, is potentiallto oil and gas drilling casting a dark shadothis wild landscape.

While just under hal o Adobe Town is proteby the wilderness study area, even that protis not permanent. In add ition, the parts thatprotected could orever lose their wild charadue to intensive drilling becoming dotted well pads, and crisscrossed by a spider web roads and pipelines.

While the BLM has leased many o the acresaround the Red Desert, these leases are oteso long that they expire without any drilling place. Under BLMs plan or the Jack Morroin the Northern Red Desert, the agency is p

out some o these leases, a trend that we nesee continued.

The Red Desert o Wyoming represents the our western heritage.

How to protect The Red Desert aAdobe Town: The BLM is currently devemanagement plans or the Red Desert. Thesplans should protect backcountry recreationwilderness-quality lands or everyone to enjo


14/17


The Thompson Divide area has been ranchedor more than a century, and it remains one o thestrongest enclaves o traditional ranching culture onthe Western Slope. There are 35 operations grazingcattle on ederal allotments within the ThompsonDivide. These ranches preserve thousands o acreso increasingly scarce winter range or deer and elk,and play an essential role in the larger ecosystem.

Unortunately, oil and gas development is knockingat its door.

Drilling in the Thompson Divide would threatenmore than 15 watersheds in the region threatening drinking water or communities andranchers, and the sh and wildlie in the area.Farther downstream, armers in Colorados NorthFork Valley rely on water rom the Thompson Divideto irrigate their crops.

Bill Fales owner/operator o ColdMountain RanchKeeping oil and gasdrilling out o theThompson Divide isimportant to me or awhole host o reasons starting with water.We run a grass-edcattle operation, andeven a perception ocontamination in thewater hurts the marketor our cattle.

More drilling activity in the area means more dustin the air more dust means the snowpack will meltsooner, and there will be less water when we needit. The roads that would have to be built would alsoaect our herds; you simply cant put a gate across aroad wed have to put up miles o encing as wellso that more o our cattle could not wander o.

Many o the ranchers in this community dependon the Forest Service to graze their cattle. Drillinghere would devastate the community.

Economic BeneftsThe Thompson Divide is home to some o the besttrout shing in the world. The iconic Roaring ForkRiver is the centerpiece and is a blue ribbon shery.

Tributaries to the Gunnison and Colorado Ralso provide abundant opportunities to catctrout.

Outdoor recreation activities like hiking, shand hunting help orm the backbone o theeconomy in Gunnison, Pitkin and Gareld CHiking, biking and other outdoor activities gmore than $12 million in the area. More than26,000 people in the Thompson Divide regiemployed in the travel and tourism industrieanother 5,000 in recreation and 2,600 in hunand shing.

Across Colorado, outdoor recreation is a maeconomic driver creating more than $13.2 in economic activity, and supporting more th124,000 jobs.

Leaving the Thompson Divides unique andtreasured lands undrilled will help ensure lo

economic prosperity and healthy communitiColorados central mountain region. Protecthelp us achieve an ebalance that Colorahave been trying to or generations - a bbetween conservatienergy developmen

Threats toThompson DiviIn 2003 the Bush

Administration issued 81 mineral leases in thThompson Divide area covering approximat105,000 acres. The vast majority o these leawere sold, without environmental review or involvement, at the statutory minimum o $2acre. These leases also had little to no proteor landowners, who could see their propertinvaded by trucks and well pads rom the oicompanies.

How to protect the Thompson DiLegislation has been introduced by Senator Bennet to withdraw lands rom uture leasinThompson Divide. This would ensure that thlands in the area would be kept sae or traduses like ranching, hunting and angling, as wthe wide array o recreational opportunities drive the regions economy.

esTeN colordo: ThoMPsoN diVide

The Thompson Divide is home to ranchers, blue-ribbon trout streams, andsome o the most sought ater hunting grounds in Colorado. The 221,000acre swath o ranchlands and mid-altitude orests is also the source o the

regions agricultural and drinking water. Hikers, mountain bikers and campersenjoy the unparalleled trails throughout the orests, and climbers scale theThompson Creek Fins.


15/17


its been nearly a decade sincethe ederal government rstsparked a restorm by targeting

the Wyoming Range or new energydevelopment. Since then olks romall backgrounds have worked to keepenergy development out o the WyomingRange rst by passing the WyomingRange Legacy Act, which withdrew1.2 million acres rom new oil and gasleasing, and then through the voluntarypurchase o grandathered energy leasesin the Hoback Basin in the northern parto the Range. To this day however, theoriginal confict that began the ght orthe Wyoming Range remains unresolved.

44,700 acres located in the gatewayto the Wyoming Range remain underthreat with a leasing decision pendingthis year.

Aaron Bannon, National OutdoorLeadership SchoolTheres no way around it drilling in the WyomingRange would end some o our programs. Idrilling were to occur on the 44,700 acres that areunprotected, its possible we would have to ceaseall o our winter operations there, and severelycurtail our summer ones.

Losing the summer operations would be a hugeloss. These are our adventures or young students,15 and 16 years old, and in many cases this is therst time theyve ever been backpacking. They getout there and learn critical lie and leadership skills,and a big part o the experience is being in thewilderness o the Wyoming Range.

Losing our winter programs is equally devastating the areas that are unprotected amount to ourentire winter course area in this Range. Our wintercourses teach skills like wilderness rescue skillsthat benet search and rescue workers in parks andwild areas across the nation. We already had tostop having programs on the White River NationalForest in Utah because the nearby d rilling activitywas too intense.

Wyoming is a pretty big state there is pleroom to be able to have oil and gas drillingprotect the wildest places at the same time

Economic BeneftsWhile visitors are more likely to crowd nearbGrand Teton National Park, the Wyoming Rprovides areas or local Wyoming residents and sh and camp with their amilies. The Rrenowned or its big game, including mule dand moose, while an abundance o clean stcreate a sae reuge or native cutthroat trouBecause o this, hunting and shing alone rthese 44,700 acres contributes $5.2 million to local economies. In addition to hunters asherman, the eastern gateway is regularly backpackers and hikers who traverse the 70Wyoming Range National Scenic Trail whichalong the crest o the range at more than 9,eet. The area is also heavily used by snowand skiers in the winter.

Economic BeneftsThese lands along the gateway to the WyomRange were originally oered or lease to oigas companies by the Forest Service in 2002006. Sparking a grassroots movement o pand a series o challenges by local outtterssportsmen, ormer Gov. Dave Freudenthal,conservationists, and labor unions, these coleases have remained in legal limbo ever sin2011, the Forest Service made a decision tothe lease oerings on the entire 44,700 acrewhen two energy companies appealed, thewithdrew the decision in order to conduct uanalysis.

I the 44,700 acres o leases are validated inupcoming environmental review decision, ave energy companies could try to advanceprojects in the middle o popular elk huntincamps, grazing allotments, shing holes andcamping areas. Stanley Energy, a wildcat o

out o Colorado has foated a proposal to dgas wells rom 8 well pads, each covering 5Although its been almost eight years since areas were rst oered or leasing, the gatethe Wyoming Range is still too special to dr

How to protect the Woming RaThe U.S. Forest Service should keep these lrom being developed, keeping the WyomiRange wild and sae rom drilling.

yoMiNg rNge


16/17


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 Wildlie Reuge(Page 8) Coastal Plain - ANWR. Photo by: Lincoln Else(Page 9) Caribou cal; Wildfowers and tent. Photo by: Linocln Else

New Mexico: Chaco Canyon(Page 10) Pueblo del arroyo - Chaco Canyon -Photo by: credit istockphoto.com/LieSizeImages(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

Caliornia: 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 Wildlie Service

Montana: North Fork o the Flathead River(Page 20) Bear Grass - Flathead River. Photo by: International League o 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 HaywardPage (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 rom Lighth(Page 29) Wyoming Range, Lease Block. Photo by: Jared White

Page 30 Arches National Park - Arches NP. Photo by: Betsy Weber


17/17

1615 M Street N.W.W hi D C 20036

wilderness.org(202) 833-2300

For more inormation please contact:

Bob Ekey, Senior Director, Energy Campaign(406) [email protected]

Jennier Dickson, Communications Director, Energy Campaign(303) 650-5818

[email protected] Shader, Communications Manager, Energy Campaign(202) [email protected]

Our mission is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.

JULy 2013

Cover photo: Jared White

Documents

Too Wild to Drill Report