Room for both? Deer and Drilling on Little Mountain

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

(Casper Star Tribune)

Dwayne Meadows, field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, stands atop Little Mountain and uses binoculars to view Devon Energy Co.'s Rubicon exploratory drilling rig below during a tour of the area Friday. Photo by Jeff Gearino, Star-Tribune.

Standing not too far from the deer were several survey stakes, marking the site of Devon Energy Co.'s second wildcat well, which will be drilled sometime next year.
A lot of folks in southwest Wyoming wonder these days if Little Mountain can be home to both the mule deer and the planned drilling rig.

A loose coalition of churches, blue-collar workers, conservationists, hunters and anglers believes energy development on Little Mountain will affect a wide range of species and undo the fruits of millions of dollars worth of volunteer habitat restoration completed over the years.

Groups such as the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership worry Devon's two-well wildcat exploration project on Little Mountain could lead to a full-field development scenario, which could threaten the popular recreation area prized by residents for its premier elk hunting, scenic values and cutthroat trout fisheries.

But they also see it as a good opportunity to minimize impacts through responsible "balanced" development based on proper planning and local input.

"We have a really, really good opportunity here to get that up-front, baseline data on wildlife and all the resources on Little Mountain ... and then really plan the development of that field to minimize the impacts," said Dwayne Meadows, TRCP energy initiative field representative, on a tour of Little Mountain on Friday.

"If we get into the same situation as, say, the Pinedale Anticline -- where a world-class hunting and fishing area is in direct conflict with a world-class gas resource -- we can end up with the same outcome, and we've seen what's happened there," Meadows said.

"I think, with the right planning and measures, Devon can decrease their footprint and the amount of surface disturbance," he said. "Nobody is saying don't drill ... but we are saying do what you have to do to protect the wildlife."

Devon officials said that's always been the company's primary goal.

Company managers said Devon is more than willing to devote the necessary time, money and resources to reduce environmental impacts, to minimize their footprint on the mountain and to address the concerns of all stakeholders in the area.

Devon supervisors said they're working with local, state and federal agencies to facilitate responsible development of the area, including drilling exploratory wells first and conducting seismic surveys of the area to help determine the exact locations of gas resources.

"We're trying to do this the right way, regardless of cost," said Randy Bolles, supervisor of regulatory affairs for Devon's Western Division.

"We certainly believe we can sit down and work together will all parties to meet both the (wildlife) needs and our needs," Bolles said during a recent phone interview.

Last of the wild places

Little Mountain's unique environment in southwest Wyoming is one of the few undeveloped mountainous areas near Rock Springs and Green River.

Located some 35 miles south of Rock Springs along U.S. Highway 191 South, Little Mountain lies east of Flaming Gorge Reservoir and west of the area known as Adobe Town in south-central Sweetwater County.

"It's got some incredibly unique species," said Game and Fish biologist Kevin Spence. "For example, it's the only place in Wyoming where you can find pinion pine trees."

The area also provides world-class trophy elk and deer hunting. Residents contend Elk Area 31 on Little Mountain is the state's most desired elk hunt, with the hardest drawing odds in Wyoming.

A resident has a 6 percent chance to draw an elk license for Elk Area 31. A resident also has a 9 percent chance to draw a deer license for Deer Area 102, another premier hunting spot on the mountain.

Resident hunter Monte Morlock said it's been 20 years since he drew a much-coveted elk permit for Little Mountain, but he still remembers his world-class trophy elk hunt like it was yesterday.

"Hunt of a lifetime," he said simply.

The longtime union/labor representative said the as-yet undeveloped area remains a favorite recreation area for thousands of hunters such as him.

"Imagine this opening up to development like the Jonah or (Pinedale) Anticline (gas) fields, which it easily could," Morlock said while scoping the seemingly empty countryside from the top of Little Mountain during Friday's tour.

Morlock said energy development would bring new roads, which would reduce cover security for elk, scatter elk from their normal migratory routes, increase elk vulnerability and possibly decrease trophy elk size.

"I'd hate to see a half-dozen rigs and pump stations and roads out there. ... Imagine what that would do to this spectacular area," he said. "But if they're going to drill -- and they're going to -- I just hope they do it right and minimize their footprint."

Spence said wildlife officials are concerned that increased human activity -- from truck traffic to the presence of machinery and workers -- could comprise ongoing efforts to bring back populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout on Currant Creek.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned three times to list the fish species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Thus far, the agency has declined to list the species, in part because of habitat restoration efforts in Little Mountain watersheds.

Spence said there are particular concerns about Devon's planned second well, which lies within a half-mile of Trout Creek on Little Mountain's north side.

"The big worry is about the silt and the dust problems affecting the creek itself, which runs right by the road where there will be heavy traffic," he said.

"Another big concern is the possibility of drilling into and fracturing the stream-source aquifers that feed these streams ... and use of frac fluids, which contain benzene," Spence said. "So there are some huge fishery issues."

Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com