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Rocky Mountains News

(National Wildlife Federation)

This past summer, Wyoming Wildlife Federation (WWF), Trout Unlimited (TU) and United Steelworkers of America 13214 hosted a rally in Rock Springs, Wyoming for Little Mountain – an area of public land that has become part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sales, which take place every two months in Wyoming.

The purpose of the rally was to provide information to the public and to have attendees call Don Simpson (acting Wyoming Director for BLM), Lance Porter (Rock Springs Field Manager for BLM) and Governor Dave Freudenthal and ask them to withdraw the Little Mountain lease parcels from the August 5, 2008 BLM Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale.

The rally turnout was a success with citizens, elected officials and agency representatives all talking together about the importance of the Little Mountain area. Speakers from WWF, TU, the United Steelworkers and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department emphasized the importance of the Little Mountain area as one of Sweetwater County’s last remaining wild places. WWF Executive Director Walt Gasson assured the crowd that “We are not against gas development. But are we so desperate that we have to drill on Little Mountain? I don’t think so. We will not lose Little Mountain on my watch!”

Many calls were made and one lease parcel withdrawn – a small but important victory. Yet the battle is far from over. The coming oil and gas lease sales will almost certainly include parcels on Little Mountain. And WWF will be there with its partners to protest the leasing of these parcels. As Walt Gasson so succinctly puts it, “Anyone who would develop gas on Little Mountain would pull the wings off a butterfly.”

WWF will continue to work for Little Mountain in southwest Wyoming to maintain its trophy elk populations, clear streams and unique wildlife habitat.