Tuesday, November 11, 2008
What I am Working On
Now, you tell me, does this place need defending? Shall we see this area damned? Will we stand idly by while this area is destroyed? This is my sanctuary, this is my church. This is more important than irrigation, this is more important than some damn project to store water. The desert has just enough water. Just too many people. And this, this is not really the desert. Only the foothills going into the desert. This place needs help!
Monday, November 10, 2008
A little bit of rambling.
This is an excerpt from the journal I keep when I go into the woods.Deep In The Backcountry AgainAn unknown ridge, except to the sheep, the bear, birds, bugs and me. Climber's won't come here, too loose. Hikers won't come here, too much climbing. Hunters, HA!, too far away from where a horse can take them. The waterfall is half a mile, straight across, maybe three by hiking. I have always been told I have billy goat legs, this is a good thing. From where I sit, it is a good thousand foot drop, to my right, only a couple feet away. Best not to siesta here. I am recharged, refreshed, renewed. It must be how a Catholic feels, after Confession. I would not know of that. All I know is the deep connectedness I feel up here. I am alone, but totally surrounded. The chirp of grasshoppers on wing verify this, and remind me.I do not know where I am, in terms of a map. But, I know I am looking DOWN into Sunlight Peak's massive bowl. The sound of the waterfall is quite inviting. Funny, even with all it's rage, all it's volume, it still peters to nothing by the time it hits the road. I can see the road if I look behind me. I choose not to. There is too much looking behind in life, and far too many roads. In this place, there is no road. Thank God for wilderness, or there would be a tram to the top of this place by now. What drives me out here? I could build my little cabin up here, and you would never see me again. Is that bad? Why do people seem so terrified of running away? Don't they realize there is so much more out there, and beyond what they can see from the road?It feels good to get away. I am free to sing aloud, talk to myself, contemplate the deepest thoughts I have, and the only complaint heard is the whistle from the wind. She is not too cynical today, though, she seems to be agreeing with me. She, along with some clouds she blows in, have made, MADE, the place I sit. I feel like they have carved out this nook in the rock just for me, just waiting until I came along.I want to push up further. My view of a high mountain is blocked by a goblin of gneiss. I could climb up the once I am leaning on, but with the long fall to the right, this shitty bonded rock is not quite convincing me to caress her. If a man in the mountain falls, and no one is around, does he still make a sound?So many ridgelines up here to explore. I, for one, have always been more fond of following the ridgelines, rather than go up the bottoms of the canyons. I like to be able to see off into the distance, rather than just in front of me. I will look back only so I know how to get down. Right now, where I sit, that is a good thing. I am completely cliffed out, and taking the wrong way back, we may be able to test our falling theory. Walking and climbing the gneiss, or kitty litter, is an art form. For every step up, you lose two down. Maybe that is why people don't like hiking in the Absarokees. The bedrock is another fun concept, and challenge. Usually found right where you don't want to fall, raw cliff will be covered by an inch or less of tiny, tiny ball bearings. You don't sink enough to get traction, and the ball bearings cause even the best boots to skitter. Sticks from the ground are helpful. Move quickly, and take deliberate steps, hoping you find deeper scree before you get cliffed out and cannot go back. If the kitty litter is bad, the cliffs themselves are worse. Low angle, slabby nightmares, where every hold breaks off. Climb fast friends, and pray you don't crumble a hold, while you are using it!
Coalbed Methane, and what goes with it......
From the Billings Gazette. At least the state is stepping in and saying ENOUGH!
Fidelity violating permit with water tests
By CLAIR JOHNSON Of The Gazette StaffA state department has started enforcement action against a coalbed methane producer for repeatedly failing toxicity tests on water it discharges into the Tongue River.Fidelity Exploration and Production Co. violated the toxicity provision in its discharge permit 132 times in a 2 1/2-year period, from April 2006 through August 2008. The company also failed to submit an adequate compliance plan, said John Arrigo, administrator of Montana Department of Environmental Quality's Enforcement Division.Fidelity produces methane from coal beds in the Decker area of the Powder River Basin. Ground water pumped to the surface through the drilling for natural gas is discharged untreated into the Tongue at 15 sites covered by the permit. Fidelity is a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc. and is based in Denver.Although tests are finding toxicity in the discharge water, that doesn't mean the Tongue River is being harmed, Arrigo said.
"We're don't have any dead fish," Arrigo said. "If we saw dead fish or saw effects on the receiving water, we would act more aggressively. But we don't see that."Rather, DEQ is seeing dead fleas - ceriodaphnia dubia fleas to be exact. The fleas are used in laboratory tests as an indicator of toxicity.Fidelity is required to test for toxics by taking samples of its discharge water and putting in organisms to see if they survive. In addition to the fleas, similar tests also are conducted on fathead minnows.Fidelity's tests using minnows have all passed. The tests using the fleas are failing, Arrigo said.While the toxicity failures have been consistent, pinpointing the cause has been difficult and expensive.Both DEQ and Fidelity officials said they are working to find a solution."It's complicated," Arrigo said. One test costs about $500 and Fidelity has done hundreds of them, he added.The problem has been that Fidelity hasn't been able to identify what is causing the toxicity. Despite a variety of tests on different discharges at different times, the results are inconsistent, Arrigo said.Joe Icenogle, a spokesperson for Fidelity, said the violations represent "a permit concern" and do not threaten or degrade the Tongue's water quality. "One of the things Fidelity, DEQ and everybody shares down there is the health of the Tongue River," he said.Fidelity has performed similar toxicity tests with fleas on Tongue River water samples taken six inches from its discharge points. "They've survived every time," Icenogle said.The tests require using nonnative fleas, Icenogle said. In some tests, the fleas are not surviving in undiluted discharge water, he said. Fleas start surviving when the coalbed discharge water is diluted 25 percent, he said."Our discharge into the Tongue River never makes up 75 percent of the total flow," he said. "It's less than 1 to 2 percent of the total flow of the river."Prior to April 2006, Fidelity passed its toxicity tests using another nonnative flea species, Icenogle said. DEQ then changed to a different flea species.Fidelity used to test once a year under a previous permit, Icenogle said. The company went to quarterly with the current permit. Because of the violations, the company has to test monthly.The company has hired water specialists, fisheries biologists and other consultants. There is a possibility that total dissolved solids may be the problem, Icenogle said, while researchers have pretty much eliminated methane in the water as the cause.There is a permit limit for total dissolved solids, and Fidelity is not exceeding it, Arrigo said.In the meantime, Fidelity is experimenting with running its discharge water through a holding tank before it enters the Tongue. The results have been variable, Icenogle said.Fidelity also submitted a compliance plan, but DEQ said it did not adequately describe how toxicity would be controlled. Failure to submit an adequate plan is a permit violation.Arrigo said in his enforcement letter Fidelity may have to develop a plan that addresses the overall quality of the wastewater, such as treating selected discharges. Also, some control options may require a permit modification.Icenogle said it was premature to say whether Fidelity would treat the discharge water. "We're working with them to reach a solution," he said of DEQ.DEQ has met with company officials and plans to meet again. DEQ is proposing the agency and Fidelity enter into a negotiated administrative order to resolve the violations. Penalties would be assessed but waived if Fidelity submits an adequate compliance plan and implements it in a timely manner, Arrigo said.The penalties would be used as leverage to require Fidelity to submit a more definite control plan in a tighter schedule, Arrigo said. "We want them to submit a better compliance plan. We're not interested in fining them a lot of money. We want them to do more faster. If they blow us off and say no, we have a variety of enforcement options."Contact Clair Johnson at cjohnson@billingsgazette.com or 657-1282.
Published on Monday, November 10, 2008.Last modified on 11/10/2008 at 4:42 pm
Fidelity violating permit with water tests
By CLAIR JOHNSON Of The Gazette StaffA state department has started enforcement action against a coalbed methane producer for repeatedly failing toxicity tests on water it discharges into the Tongue River.Fidelity Exploration and Production Co. violated the toxicity provision in its discharge permit 132 times in a 2 1/2-year period, from April 2006 through August 2008. The company also failed to submit an adequate compliance plan, said John Arrigo, administrator of Montana Department of Environmental Quality's Enforcement Division.Fidelity produces methane from coal beds in the Decker area of the Powder River Basin. Ground water pumped to the surface through the drilling for natural gas is discharged untreated into the Tongue at 15 sites covered by the permit. Fidelity is a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc. and is based in Denver.Although tests are finding toxicity in the discharge water, that doesn't mean the Tongue River is being harmed, Arrigo said.
"We're don't have any dead fish," Arrigo said. "If we saw dead fish or saw effects on the receiving water, we would act more aggressively. But we don't see that."Rather, DEQ is seeing dead fleas - ceriodaphnia dubia fleas to be exact. The fleas are used in laboratory tests as an indicator of toxicity.Fidelity is required to test for toxics by taking samples of its discharge water and putting in organisms to see if they survive. In addition to the fleas, similar tests also are conducted on fathead minnows.Fidelity's tests using minnows have all passed. The tests using the fleas are failing, Arrigo said.While the toxicity failures have been consistent, pinpointing the cause has been difficult and expensive.Both DEQ and Fidelity officials said they are working to find a solution."It's complicated," Arrigo said. One test costs about $500 and Fidelity has done hundreds of them, he added.The problem has been that Fidelity hasn't been able to identify what is causing the toxicity. Despite a variety of tests on different discharges at different times, the results are inconsistent, Arrigo said.Joe Icenogle, a spokesperson for Fidelity, said the violations represent "a permit concern" and do not threaten or degrade the Tongue's water quality. "One of the things Fidelity, DEQ and everybody shares down there is the health of the Tongue River," he said.Fidelity has performed similar toxicity tests with fleas on Tongue River water samples taken six inches from its discharge points. "They've survived every time," Icenogle said.The tests require using nonnative fleas, Icenogle said. In some tests, the fleas are not surviving in undiluted discharge water, he said. Fleas start surviving when the coalbed discharge water is diluted 25 percent, he said."Our discharge into the Tongue River never makes up 75 percent of the total flow," he said. "It's less than 1 to 2 percent of the total flow of the river."Prior to April 2006, Fidelity passed its toxicity tests using another nonnative flea species, Icenogle said. DEQ then changed to a different flea species.Fidelity used to test once a year under a previous permit, Icenogle said. The company went to quarterly with the current permit. Because of the violations, the company has to test monthly.The company has hired water specialists, fisheries biologists and other consultants. There is a possibility that total dissolved solids may be the problem, Icenogle said, while researchers have pretty much eliminated methane in the water as the cause.There is a permit limit for total dissolved solids, and Fidelity is not exceeding it, Arrigo said.In the meantime, Fidelity is experimenting with running its discharge water through a holding tank before it enters the Tongue. The results have been variable, Icenogle said.Fidelity also submitted a compliance plan, but DEQ said it did not adequately describe how toxicity would be controlled. Failure to submit an adequate plan is a permit violation.Arrigo said in his enforcement letter Fidelity may have to develop a plan that addresses the overall quality of the wastewater, such as treating selected discharges. Also, some control options may require a permit modification.Icenogle said it was premature to say whether Fidelity would treat the discharge water. "We're working with them to reach a solution," he said of DEQ.DEQ has met with company officials and plans to meet again. DEQ is proposing the agency and Fidelity enter into a negotiated administrative order to resolve the violations. Penalties would be assessed but waived if Fidelity submits an adequate compliance plan and implements it in a timely manner, Arrigo said.The penalties would be used as leverage to require Fidelity to submit a more definite control plan in a tighter schedule, Arrigo said. "We want them to submit a better compliance plan. We're not interested in fining them a lot of money. We want them to do more faster. If they blow us off and say no, we have a variety of enforcement options."Contact Clair Johnson at cjohnson@billingsgazette.com or 657-1282.
Published on Monday, November 10, 2008.Last modified on 11/10/2008 at 4:42 pm
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wolf Meeting Thoughts
First off, if you ever have a chance to go to a wolf meeting, do so, just for the amazing uneducated dialogue that takes place. I could have watched FOX news and been more educated.
This meeting was simply on the proposed changes for the Wyoming Wolf Management plan, since it was shot down by Judge Molloy in Montana earlier this year. Basically there were four main issues in the judges ruling to overturn Wyoming's management plan. They included: Genetic Connectivity, Minimum Population Commitment, The Trophy Game Management Area, and Depredation Control. This new Emergency Plan is supposed to be a way to address these issues a little bit better, and wishfully thinking, allow Wyoming to regain control of it's gray wolf population.
Bill Rudd basically walked through the word changes, and described them as simply a firmer commitment to maintaining the number of packs, in case something catastrophic happens withing the Parks. They also threw in a new little blurb about the genetic connectivity issue:
To the extent practicable, the Commission is committed to managing the gray wolves in Wyoming so that genetic diversity and connectivity issues do not threaten the gray wolf population. This will be accomplished by encouraging the incorporation of effective migrants into the gray wolf population. Conservation measures will include, but are not limited to, working with other states to promote natural dispersal into and within the WTGMA (Wolf Trophy Game Management Area) and, if necessary, by relocation and translocation. You know, I passed many a college biology test by simply being able to bullshit through what I thought the professor wanted to hear. This is a fine example of that. There is no plan here, no groundbreaking revelations, just a desperate attempt to blow smoke up the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's collective skirt.
There is also some new wording on Lethal Take Permits. Chapter 21, Section 3(a) Chapter 21, Section 3(a) defines "chronic wolf depredation" as "a geographic area limited to a specific parcel of private land or a specific grazing allotment described on the permit within the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area where gray wolves have repeatedly (twice or more within a two month period immediately preceding the date on which the owner applies for a lethal take permit) harassed, injured, maimed or killed livestock or domesticated animals." Wolves taken under the authority of a lethal take permit shall be reported to the Department representative specified on the permit within 23 hours. Lethal take permits shall expire on December 31 of the year issued. However, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the number of wolves in the WTGMA decreasing below 15 breeding pairs or 150 wolves, or below 7 breeding pairs outside the national parks and parkway. In addition, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the re listing of gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act. In either of these circumstances, non-lethal control actions shall be initiated to mitigate continued harassment, injury, maiming or killing of livestock or domesticated animals. Whew! My fingers hurt after that, and what exactly does all that say? Basically if you are Joe Shmoe rancher, and you have evidence of wolves killing animals, you can apply for this permit that will allow you to shoot them on sight. After you kill your two wolves, you can reapply for another permit. Now, there is also a state law, pertaining to all predators, that allows for Joe Schmoe rancher to blast an animal in the act, or even thinking of the act "as a reasonable person would suspect" of hurting their livestock. Add on top of all that, the control measures that the Feds and State will be doing, and it is open season.
Predator status is still a go, one of the main hang ups with a lot of people, myself included. Outside of the WTGMA, people would still be allowed to blast any wolf they saw, for any reason, unless the number of packs falls below 15, where the Feds would step back in and take control. With the changes to the law, you would no longer be required to turn over a pelt and skull, only report your name and address, the date of the kill, the sex of the wolf, and a location. And, this makes me laugh quite hard. The Department may also seek the person's cooperation in obtaining any additional information relevant to wolf management, as warranted. If someone is out shooting wolves for pleasure, what do you think his response is going to be on management? This is not rocket science people!
A fairly large issue was brought up, concerning the word "predator". That, as already stated, is a major hang up with the judge in Montana. So why not remove that word? I have my own theories on that, but the way it has been pushed through is simple. The state has to have this plan into the USFWS by November 28th. The Wyoming Commission does not meet until November 17th and 18th, and the State Legislature does not meet until February 14th. The word predator is in law, and can only be repealed by Legislature. Now, a Representative from the Wyoming Government was there, and he said, something to the effect of "Well you people have already been liberal with your Plan under the law, why don't you just remove it and call it good." No one wants to remove that particular word, it is what has held Wyoming up this whole time. If that word were removed, this would go through.
So, what does this mean, long and short? It means victory for people who would like to keep wolf management in the hands of the Federal Government. Wyoming has had it's chance to change the laws, remove predator status, and be cooperative, and they have blown it. They have made their bed, now it is time for them to sleep in it. As for what it means for Wyoming? I doubt we will be re-gaining control in a timely manner. The wording in this emergency plan does not address the issues of litigation proposed by Molloy, and, in fact, adds to the issues in certain places.
Public comments are due in the office of the Wyoming Game and Fish by November 10th. Your comment must be in their hands on this date.
The address to write to is:
Wolf Plan Comments
Attn: Bea Pepper
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
5400 Bishop Blvd
Cheyenne, WY 82006
The next planned meeting in Cody is December 16th.
This meeting was simply on the proposed changes for the Wyoming Wolf Management plan, since it was shot down by Judge Molloy in Montana earlier this year. Basically there were four main issues in the judges ruling to overturn Wyoming's management plan. They included: Genetic Connectivity, Minimum Population Commitment, The Trophy Game Management Area, and Depredation Control. This new Emergency Plan is supposed to be a way to address these issues a little bit better, and wishfully thinking, allow Wyoming to regain control of it's gray wolf population.
Bill Rudd basically walked through the word changes, and described them as simply a firmer commitment to maintaining the number of packs, in case something catastrophic happens withing the Parks. They also threw in a new little blurb about the genetic connectivity issue:
To the extent practicable, the Commission is committed to managing the gray wolves in Wyoming so that genetic diversity and connectivity issues do not threaten the gray wolf population. This will be accomplished by encouraging the incorporation of effective migrants into the gray wolf population. Conservation measures will include, but are not limited to, working with other states to promote natural dispersal into and within the WTGMA (Wolf Trophy Game Management Area) and, if necessary, by relocation and translocation. You know, I passed many a college biology test by simply being able to bullshit through what I thought the professor wanted to hear. This is a fine example of that. There is no plan here, no groundbreaking revelations, just a desperate attempt to blow smoke up the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's collective skirt.
There is also some new wording on Lethal Take Permits. Chapter 21, Section 3(a) Chapter 21, Section 3(a) defines "chronic wolf depredation" as "a geographic area limited to a specific parcel of private land or a specific grazing allotment described on the permit within the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area where gray wolves have repeatedly (twice or more within a two month period immediately preceding the date on which the owner applies for a lethal take permit) harassed, injured, maimed or killed livestock or domesticated animals." Wolves taken under the authority of a lethal take permit shall be reported to the Department representative specified on the permit within 23 hours. Lethal take permits shall expire on December 31 of the year issued. However, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the number of wolves in the WTGMA decreasing below 15 breeding pairs or 150 wolves, or below 7 breeding pairs outside the national parks and parkway. In addition, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the re listing of gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act. In either of these circumstances, non-lethal control actions shall be initiated to mitigate continued harassment, injury, maiming or killing of livestock or domesticated animals. Whew! My fingers hurt after that, and what exactly does all that say? Basically if you are Joe Shmoe rancher, and you have evidence of wolves killing animals, you can apply for this permit that will allow you to shoot them on sight. After you kill your two wolves, you can reapply for another permit. Now, there is also a state law, pertaining to all predators, that allows for Joe Schmoe rancher to blast an animal in the act, or even thinking of the act "as a reasonable person would suspect" of hurting their livestock. Add on top of all that, the control measures that the Feds and State will be doing, and it is open season.
Predator status is still a go, one of the main hang ups with a lot of people, myself included. Outside of the WTGMA, people would still be allowed to blast any wolf they saw, for any reason, unless the number of packs falls below 15, where the Feds would step back in and take control. With the changes to the law, you would no longer be required to turn over a pelt and skull, only report your name and address, the date of the kill, the sex of the wolf, and a location. And, this makes me laugh quite hard. The Department may also seek the person's cooperation in obtaining any additional information relevant to wolf management, as warranted. If someone is out shooting wolves for pleasure, what do you think his response is going to be on management? This is not rocket science people!
A fairly large issue was brought up, concerning the word "predator". That, as already stated, is a major hang up with the judge in Montana. So why not remove that word? I have my own theories on that, but the way it has been pushed through is simple. The state has to have this plan into the USFWS by November 28th. The Wyoming Commission does not meet until November 17th and 18th, and the State Legislature does not meet until February 14th. The word predator is in law, and can only be repealed by Legislature. Now, a Representative from the Wyoming Government was there, and he said, something to the effect of "Well you people have already been liberal with your Plan under the law, why don't you just remove it and call it good." No one wants to remove that particular word, it is what has held Wyoming up this whole time. If that word were removed, this would go through.
So, what does this mean, long and short? It means victory for people who would like to keep wolf management in the hands of the Federal Government. Wyoming has had it's chance to change the laws, remove predator status, and be cooperative, and they have blown it. They have made their bed, now it is time for them to sleep in it. As for what it means for Wyoming? I doubt we will be re-gaining control in a timely manner. The wording in this emergency plan does not address the issues of litigation proposed by Molloy, and, in fact, adds to the issues in certain places.
Public comments are due in the office of the Wyoming Game and Fish by November 10th. Your comment must be in their hands on this date.
The address to write to is:
Wolf Plan Comments
Attn: Bea Pepper
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
5400 Bishop Blvd
Cheyenne, WY 82006
The next planned meeting in Cody is December 16th.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Wolf Comment Meeting Tomorrow!
If you don't show up and comment, you have absolutely no right to bitch. Here is OUR time to let all of our voices be heard.
The Game and Fish Department has released a draft revised version of the gray wolf management plan for public comment.The draft revised plan addresses many of the issues brought up in recent court decisions regarding removal of the Northern Rocky Mountain population of wolves from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the public comment period on its proposal to delist the wolves.
That public comment period ends Nov. 28.Wyoming's revised plan will be submitted to the USFWS during this comment period as part of Wyoming's comments on the federal delisting proposal.Revisions to Wyoming's wolf plan are consistent with emergency rule changes to G&F regulations.Those emergency rules were signed by Wyoming Game and Fish Commission president Jerry Galles and Gov. Dave Freudenthal Oct. 27 and are in effect for 120 days.G&F is initiating a formal rulemaking process to make those rules permanent.“First of all, these rules do not become effective unless and until the wolf is delisted in Wyoming,” Freudenthal said. “This is an attempt to operate within the current statute and to be responsive to the signals that we are receiving from USFWS and the judge in Montana.”G&F will hold two public meetings to discuss the revised plan and accept public comments.�Cody, 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Holiday Inn.�Lander, 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Lander Community Center.The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will review public comments and take action on the revised plan at the commission's next meeting Nov. 17-18 in Jackson.Written public comments on the revised plan will be accepted at the Cody and Lander meetings, by mail or by fax and must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 10.“We realize this is a tight time frame for public review,” said G&F director Steve Ferrell. “Our goal is to have a revised plan approved by the Game and Fish Commission at their next meeting. This will allow the USFWS to consider a revised Wyoming plan as they move forward with another delisting proposal.”Draft revisions to the plan include language to clarify Wyoming's commitment to maintain at least 15 breeding pairs of wolves and 150 individual wolves in the established Trophy Game Management Area. The draft also addresses actions the commission will take if numbers within Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks and the Rockefeller Parkway drop below eight breeding pairs.Other revisions in the draft include shortening some reporting requirements for those who kill wolves, either through licensed hunting or through livestock depredation actions, further defining “damage to private property” and “chronic wolf depredation,” further restricting the Game and Fish Commission's ability to change the boundaries of the Trophy Game Management Area and restricting lethal take permits to no more than two wolves.The Game and Fish Commission last revised its wolf management plan in November 2007. That plan was subsequently accepted by the USFWS.Wolves were removed from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List in March 2008, and were subsequently relisted in September 2008, after a federal judge in Montana granted a preliminary injunction against the delisting decision and the USFWS requested a remand of their delisting rule.“We see revising Wyoming's plan to address the judge's concerns as a necessary step toward getting wolves permanently delisted,” Ferrell said. “It's clear that wolves are recovered in the Northern Rocky Mountains and doing well. We have more than five times the number of wolves called for in the original delisting proposal. It's time for them to be delisted and for the states to assume management.”
The Game and Fish Department has released a draft revised version of the gray wolf management plan for public comment.The draft revised plan addresses many of the issues brought up in recent court decisions regarding removal of the Northern Rocky Mountain population of wolves from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the public comment period on its proposal to delist the wolves.
That public comment period ends Nov. 28.Wyoming's revised plan will be submitted to the USFWS during this comment period as part of Wyoming's comments on the federal delisting proposal.Revisions to Wyoming's wolf plan are consistent with emergency rule changes to G&F regulations.Those emergency rules were signed by Wyoming Game and Fish Commission president Jerry Galles and Gov. Dave Freudenthal Oct. 27 and are in effect for 120 days.G&F is initiating a formal rulemaking process to make those rules permanent.“First of all, these rules do not become effective unless and until the wolf is delisted in Wyoming,” Freudenthal said. “This is an attempt to operate within the current statute and to be responsive to the signals that we are receiving from USFWS and the judge in Montana.”G&F will hold two public meetings to discuss the revised plan and accept public comments.�Cody, 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Holiday Inn.�Lander, 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Lander Community Center.The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will review public comments and take action on the revised plan at the commission's next meeting Nov. 17-18 in Jackson.Written public comments on the revised plan will be accepted at the Cody and Lander meetings, by mail or by fax and must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 10.“We realize this is a tight time frame for public review,” said G&F director Steve Ferrell. “Our goal is to have a revised plan approved by the Game and Fish Commission at their next meeting. This will allow the USFWS to consider a revised Wyoming plan as they move forward with another delisting proposal.”Draft revisions to the plan include language to clarify Wyoming's commitment to maintain at least 15 breeding pairs of wolves and 150 individual wolves in the established Trophy Game Management Area. The draft also addresses actions the commission will take if numbers within Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks and the Rockefeller Parkway drop below eight breeding pairs.Other revisions in the draft include shortening some reporting requirements for those who kill wolves, either through licensed hunting or through livestock depredation actions, further defining “damage to private property” and “chronic wolf depredation,” further restricting the Game and Fish Commission's ability to change the boundaries of the Trophy Game Management Area and restricting lethal take permits to no more than two wolves.The Game and Fish Commission last revised its wolf management plan in November 2007. That plan was subsequently accepted by the USFWS.Wolves were removed from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List in March 2008, and were subsequently relisted in September 2008, after a federal judge in Montana granted a preliminary injunction against the delisting decision and the USFWS requested a remand of their delisting rule.“We see revising Wyoming's plan to address the judge's concerns as a necessary step toward getting wolves permanently delisted,” Ferrell said. “It's clear that wolves are recovered in the Northern Rocky Mountains and doing well. We have more than five times the number of wolves called for in the original delisting proposal. It's time for them to be delisted and for the states to assume management.”
Yellowstone Winter Use Plan
A new winter use plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks would provide for limited, guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel, including over Sylvan Pass, this winter.The two parks are seeking public comment through Nov. 17 on the proposal, which was released Monday and replaces a previous plan that was rejected by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., in September.The 2008-09 winter season is scheduled to open Dec. 15.
“Neither snowmobiles nor snowcoaches can be allowed in the parks this winter without (adopting) a new plan and new regulation,” Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said Monday.The preferred alternative would allow up to 318 commercially guided, Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles, and up to 78 snowcoaches per day in Yellowstone.The preferred alternative would also provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and Yellowstone's East Entrance road, as agreed to this summer by the Sylvan Pass Study Group.Daily snowmobile limits in the new plan are slightly above last winter's average of 294 snowmobiles per day, but well below the 720 per day allowed the past four winters, and lower than the 540 snowmobiles a day that would have been allowed this winter under the plan rejected by the judge.The daily snowcoach limit is the same as allowed during the past four years.“I'm happy the Park Service and Department of the Interior are taking action to keep the park open for this coming winter season,” state Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody said Monday. He serves on the study group that worked to keep the east gate open in winter. The initial NPS decision was to close it for safety and financial reasons.“Regardless of the numbers they're using, something needs to be done to keep (the parks) open,” Simpson added. “They have used a number that was upheld in the 2004 EA, and I'm sure since it's survived judicial scrutiny once, it could do so again.”He added that he is pleased the agencies “are honoring the agreement on Sylvan Pass, which is the right thing to do.”In Grand Teton and the Rockefeller Parkway, grooming and motorized oversnow travel on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail between Moran Junction and Flagg Ranch would be discontinued.However, those interested in through travel on the CDST could transport their snowmobiles on trailers between these locations, Nash said.A total of 25 snowmobiles per day would be allowed to travel on the Grassy Lake Road, with no BAT or guiding requirement.In addition, 25 unguided BAT snowmobiles per day also would be allowed on Jackson Lake for ice fishing.The plan would be in effect for up to three winters in Yellowstone.“Park managers believe an approach including both snowmobile and snowcoach access reduces impacts of both to acceptable levels,” Nash said. “This environmental assessment addresses the impact concerns raised by the recent ruling of the U.S. District Court.”The Winter Use Plan's Environmental Assessment (EA) and an electronic form to submit comments can be found at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.Written comments, due by Nov. 17, may be submitted through this Web site.Nash said a proposed rule to implement the preferred alternative in the new plan will be published within a few days in the Federal Register, and also will be open for a 15-day public comment period.Once comments are analyzed, the Park Service will make a decision on the proposed plan, Nash said.If the preferred alternative is selected, the Regional Director of the Intermountain Region of the Park Service will sign a Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI) containing details of his decision.A final rule would have to be published in the Federal Register to implement the FONSI and provide for motorized oversnow travel in the parks this winter.The Park Service expects to have a decision on winter use prior by the Dec. 15 start of the winter season.Document requests also may be made by sending an e-mail to yell_winter_use@nps.gov or calling (307) 344-2019.(Carole Cloudwalker can be reached at carole@codyenterprise.com.)
“Neither snowmobiles nor snowcoaches can be allowed in the parks this winter without (adopting) a new plan and new regulation,” Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said Monday.The preferred alternative would allow up to 318 commercially guided, Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles, and up to 78 snowcoaches per day in Yellowstone.The preferred alternative would also provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and Yellowstone's East Entrance road, as agreed to this summer by the Sylvan Pass Study Group.Daily snowmobile limits in the new plan are slightly above last winter's average of 294 snowmobiles per day, but well below the 720 per day allowed the past four winters, and lower than the 540 snowmobiles a day that would have been allowed this winter under the plan rejected by the judge.The daily snowcoach limit is the same as allowed during the past four years.“I'm happy the Park Service and Department of the Interior are taking action to keep the park open for this coming winter season,” state Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody said Monday. He serves on the study group that worked to keep the east gate open in winter. The initial NPS decision was to close it for safety and financial reasons.“Regardless of the numbers they're using, something needs to be done to keep (the parks) open,” Simpson added. “They have used a number that was upheld in the 2004 EA, and I'm sure since it's survived judicial scrutiny once, it could do so again.”He added that he is pleased the agencies “are honoring the agreement on Sylvan Pass, which is the right thing to do.”In Grand Teton and the Rockefeller Parkway, grooming and motorized oversnow travel on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail between Moran Junction and Flagg Ranch would be discontinued.However, those interested in through travel on the CDST could transport their snowmobiles on trailers between these locations, Nash said.A total of 25 snowmobiles per day would be allowed to travel on the Grassy Lake Road, with no BAT or guiding requirement.In addition, 25 unguided BAT snowmobiles per day also would be allowed on Jackson Lake for ice fishing.The plan would be in effect for up to three winters in Yellowstone.“Park managers believe an approach including both snowmobile and snowcoach access reduces impacts of both to acceptable levels,” Nash said. “This environmental assessment addresses the impact concerns raised by the recent ruling of the U.S. District Court.”The Winter Use Plan's Environmental Assessment (EA) and an electronic form to submit comments can be found at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.Written comments, due by Nov. 17, may be submitted through this Web site.Nash said a proposed rule to implement the preferred alternative in the new plan will be published within a few days in the Federal Register, and also will be open for a 15-day public comment period.Once comments are analyzed, the Park Service will make a decision on the proposed plan, Nash said.If the preferred alternative is selected, the Regional Director of the Intermountain Region of the Park Service will sign a Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI) containing details of his decision.A final rule would have to be published in the Federal Register to implement the FONSI and provide for motorized oversnow travel in the parks this winter.The Park Service expects to have a decision on winter use prior by the Dec. 15 start of the winter season.Document requests also may be made by sending an e-mail to yell_winter_use@nps.gov or calling (307) 344-2019.(Carole Cloudwalker can be reached at carole@codyenterprise.com.)
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Note From Katie Lee
Bless her, she made my day. Gives me a little bit more hope, that I am not alone.
Yet some more petroleum producer news
Care of the Casper Star Tribune
By JEFF GEARINO
Southwest Wyoming bureau
Monday, November 3, 2008 2:05 AM MST
ROCK SPRINGS -- Another fight over oil and gas leasing on Little Mountain and in the Red Desert's Jack Morrow Hills area is brewing in southwest Wyoming.
Hunting and fishing conservationists said this week the groups will submit formal protests for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's planned Dec. 2 competitive oil and gas lease sale.
The areas up for lease include some parcels on Little Mountain in southern Sweetwater County and in the Jack Morrow Hills in northern part of the county.
Conservationists said the auction of oil and gas leases will threaten the two areas, which are rich in wildlife, including prime sage grouse habitat, cultural and recreational resources.
Officials with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation said the leasing of several parcels within the two areas should be put on hold.
"We think this 11th-hour fire sale of our public lands should be put on hold, because the industry already has many times more lease acreage than it can possible drill," said Biodiversity wildlife biologist Erik Molvar.
Several conservation groups formally protested an earlier BLM lease sale Aug. 5, which included some parcels on Little Mountain. But the protests were denied, the sale proceeded and the parcels were leased.
For more than a decade, the Jack Morrow Hills north of Rock Springs have been a key battleground in the oil and gas industry boom enveloping southwest Wyoming -- primarily in the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah oil and gas fields in northern Sweetwater and Sublette counties.
Little Mountain was thrust into the energy fray in December when the Oklahoma-based Devon Energy Co. announced plans to conduct a two-well exploratory drilling project near the mountain.
A popular county recreation area, Little Mountain lies about 40 miles south of Rock Springs, near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
The mountain is home to several premier hunting areas for elk and deer, as well as sage grouse, Colorado River cutthroat trout and other wildlife.
A loose coalition of conservationists, faith-based organizations, blue-collar workers and hunters panned the project at the time amidst fears the small wildcat project could lead to full-scale development on the mountain.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal also decried the drilling project and a follow-up proposal by Devon to conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys as part of the project.
Devon officials said during a recent tour of the company's two exploratory well sites that geology and technology will go a long way toward reducing the company's footprint on the mountain.
Company officials said with proper planning and the necessary resources, drilling can be conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner and without significant harm to wildlife.
They noted the area's geology would make any commercial development by Devon a "unique play" that would not require nearly as many wells and well pads as the more intense development to the north in the Jonah Field.
Jack Morrow Hills
The 620,000-acre Jack Morrow Hills have been at the center of the national energy debate in western Wyoming for more than a decade. The area contains stark, unique scenery and spectacular formations such as the Boar's Tusk, Steamboat Mountain, the Killpecker Sand Dunes and the Honeycombs.
The area also has vast resources of natural gas, oil and coal. The hills contain an estimated 315 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Bruce Pendery, Public Lands Director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said in a release it's been more than 10 years since a lease was sold in the Jack Morrow Hills area. He noted during that time, oil and gas development in Wyoming hasn't slowed.
"The Jack Morrow Hills and Little Mountain are too valuable for their wildlife, historical and recreation resources to be opened to development now, when the evidence shows we can have oil and gas without sacrificing areas like these," Pendery said.
He said the two leases in the hills include some prime sage grouse habitat sites that are included in the governor's recently adopted sage grouse conservation strategy.
The deadline for protests is 4 p.m., Nov. 17, according to the BLM's lease sale notice. Once the protests are received, the agency will make a decision to either withdraw the parcels or to proceed with offering the parcels at the sale.
Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com
By JEFF GEARINO
Southwest Wyoming bureau
Monday, November 3, 2008 2:05 AM MST
ROCK SPRINGS -- Another fight over oil and gas leasing on Little Mountain and in the Red Desert's Jack Morrow Hills area is brewing in southwest Wyoming.
Hunting and fishing conservationists said this week the groups will submit formal protests for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's planned Dec. 2 competitive oil and gas lease sale.
The areas up for lease include some parcels on Little Mountain in southern Sweetwater County and in the Jack Morrow Hills in northern part of the county.
Conservationists said the auction of oil and gas leases will threaten the two areas, which are rich in wildlife, including prime sage grouse habitat, cultural and recreational resources.
Officials with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation said the leasing of several parcels within the two areas should be put on hold.
"We think this 11th-hour fire sale of our public lands should be put on hold, because the industry already has many times more lease acreage than it can possible drill," said Biodiversity wildlife biologist Erik Molvar.
Several conservation groups formally protested an earlier BLM lease sale Aug. 5, which included some parcels on Little Mountain. But the protests were denied, the sale proceeded and the parcels were leased.
For more than a decade, the Jack Morrow Hills north of Rock Springs have been a key battleground in the oil and gas industry boom enveloping southwest Wyoming -- primarily in the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah oil and gas fields in northern Sweetwater and Sublette counties.
Little Mountain was thrust into the energy fray in December when the Oklahoma-based Devon Energy Co. announced plans to conduct a two-well exploratory drilling project near the mountain.
A popular county recreation area, Little Mountain lies about 40 miles south of Rock Springs, near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
The mountain is home to several premier hunting areas for elk and deer, as well as sage grouse, Colorado River cutthroat trout and other wildlife.
A loose coalition of conservationists, faith-based organizations, blue-collar workers and hunters panned the project at the time amidst fears the small wildcat project could lead to full-scale development on the mountain.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal also decried the drilling project and a follow-up proposal by Devon to conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys as part of the project.
Devon officials said during a recent tour of the company's two exploratory well sites that geology and technology will go a long way toward reducing the company's footprint on the mountain.
Company officials said with proper planning and the necessary resources, drilling can be conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner and without significant harm to wildlife.
They noted the area's geology would make any commercial development by Devon a "unique play" that would not require nearly as many wells and well pads as the more intense development to the north in the Jonah Field.
Jack Morrow Hills
The 620,000-acre Jack Morrow Hills have been at the center of the national energy debate in western Wyoming for more than a decade. The area contains stark, unique scenery and spectacular formations such as the Boar's Tusk, Steamboat Mountain, the Killpecker Sand Dunes and the Honeycombs.
The area also has vast resources of natural gas, oil and coal. The hills contain an estimated 315 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
Bruce Pendery, Public Lands Director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said in a release it's been more than 10 years since a lease was sold in the Jack Morrow Hills area. He noted during that time, oil and gas development in Wyoming hasn't slowed.
"The Jack Morrow Hills and Little Mountain are too valuable for their wildlife, historical and recreation resources to be opened to development now, when the evidence shows we can have oil and gas without sacrificing areas like these," Pendery said.
He said the two leases in the hills include some prime sage grouse habitat sites that are included in the governor's recently adopted sage grouse conservation strategy.
The deadline for protests is 4 p.m., Nov. 17, according to the BLM's lease sale notice. Once the protests are received, the agency will make a decision to either withdraw the parcels or to proceed with offering the parcels at the sale.
Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com
Sunday, November 2, 2008
News from the Wyoming Water Development Commission
Here it is. Right from the horse's mouth. This is from their Fall 2008 newsletter. The link is http://wwdc.state.wy.us/newsletter/newsletter.html From there, it is the top link in the table, feel free to look at the Adobe version. Nice, nice stuff, with pretty pictures. Assholes.
Upper Green River Basin Storage
Beginning around 1930 and over the decades since, the federal government and the State of Wyoming have financed studies that identified potential dam and reservoir sites in the upper Green River basin. Interest in constructing new reservoirs was and currently is fueled by water shortages that occur in the area.
Currently, the Wyoming Water Development Office’s (WWDO) Dam and Reservoir Program is focusing on storage opportunities in the Green River tributaries west of the mainstem from Warren Bridge to Big Piney, Wyoming. Several Level II studies in this area have been approved since 2005 as part of the Planning Omnibus Water Bill. This focus has evolved from river basin planning that pointed to the need for supplemental irrigation water in the subbasins. These potential reservoirs would also likely have secondary benefits such as environmental and recreational values. A large part of the studies has been aimed at hydrologic analysis, quantifying shortages and identifying potential on-channel and off-channel storage sites. Understanding the basin hydrology is critical for identifying water storage opportunities, and is dependent upon stream flow and diversion measurements, record keeping, and understanding consumptive use for various beneficial uses. Hydrologic models are utilized to simplify the complex interplay between demand, water availability and the environment. However, models are only as good as the quantity and quality of data input and one problem with current efforts is the limited data available. This requires additional data collection and modeling to evaluate potential reservoir sites. Both the State Engineer’s Office (SEO) and the WWDO are undertaking efforts to gather more data. The SEO is working to gain a better understanding of actual consumptive use in the Green River basin and the WWDO will establish stream gage locations in subbasins that appear to have the potential for storage projects.
Additionally, with reservoir projects, comes extensive alternatives analysis and screening criteria, which will be required during any permitting process. Economic analyses are also being conducted to determine the benefits to the state and the project sponsor, as well as the sponsor’s ability to pay. Historically, cost and ability to pay have proven to be a major project detractor.
Due to elevation and climate, crops grown in the Green River basin are limited to forage crops and the revenue is not sufficient to cover a sponsor’s debt and operation and maintenance obligations for a dam and reservoir project. In response, the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) has provided specific criteria for the Dam and Reservoir Program to aid in making storage projects more affordable to sponsors. The complete Wyoming Water Development Program operating criteria is located on WWDC’s website in PDF format at http://wwdc.state.wy.us/opcrit/final_opcrit.pdf. Furthermore, open houses for the Upper Green River Basin Storage Projects will be held this fall in several locations as outlined in the special points of interest section on this page. The open houses will provide the opportunity, for those interested, to learn more about the new operating criteria and potential projects that have been identified in the basin.
Weather Modification Pilot Program Readies for Season
Program managers, scientists and field technicians conducting the 5-year Weather Modification Pilot Program for the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre and Wind River Ranges are busy preparing for this year’s operations which commence on November 15, 2008. The winter cloud seeding program, which was approved by the 2005 Wyoming Legislature, aims to increase snowpack and runoff within Wyoming’s Green River, Platte River and Wind River basins and utilizes the latest technology for operations and independent evaluation procedures.
Responsibility for deployment, operations and maintenance of the program rests with Weather Modification, Incorporated (WMI), Fargo, ND, while evaluation of the program is the responsibility of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO. The coming operational season builds on a successful 2007-08 campaign which included 26 ground-based seeding events in the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre Ranges for a total of 258 generator hours seeded (note: 4 generators running simultaneously for 4 hours equals 16 total generator hours), and 26 seeding events in the Wind River Range for a total of 786 generator hours seeded.
NCAR has developed a strict experimental design for the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre Ranges target area. This design was peer reviewed by experts across the country, with significant input being provided by faculty at the University of Wyoming (UW) Department of Atmospheric Science. Included in the randomized crossover design are 16 ground-based generators (8 per mountain range), a network of high resolution precipitation gages (target and controls), 2 radiometers (devices for identification of liquid water above the peaks), weather balloons, numerous weather stations, and snow chemistry sampling around seeding events as conducted by the Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV.
While operations in the Wind River Range are not randomized, similar seeding criteria must be met before forecasters can call a case, which are not subject to the 4-hour limit. The program for this target area includes 10 ground-based generators, weather stations, a radiometer, snow chemistry sampling, and relies heavily on already deployed climatological monitoring devices for physical evaluation.
Finally, it should be noted that the unique opportunity presented by the state’s weather modification pilot program has spurred “piggy-back” research as conducted by the UW Department. of Atmospheric Science who are utilizing their King Air aircraft, Wyoming Cloud Radar, and lidar to detect the signature of glaciogenic cloud seeding above the Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming. It is anticipated that these flights will resume February, 2009
News from Water Resources Data System
The Water Resources Data System (WRDS) is pleased to announce that the Wyoming Water Development Office (WWDO) website (http://wwdc.state.wy.us/) and State Water Plan Website (http:// waterplan.state.wy.us/) have undergone major updates.
Upgrades to these extensive websites include improved ease of use, better navigation, and new features. From the WWDO website users can easily navigate through the different planning programs and access information regarding specific projects. Users can also obtain information on WWDO consultants and project application information. Furthermore, access to different agency publications has been streamlined.
State Water Plan website users can now navigate though river basin plans and Basin Advisory Group (BAG) information with greater ease. Previously, the index pages for these were combined, causing some user confusion. Now, river basin plans are separate from BAG agendas, meeting records and reference material. Additionally, the new state water plan site incorporates river basin plans with Wyoming water facts and historical planning documents, along with GIS web mapping products. A new water search engine, and frequently used online planning products, such as the Statewide Framework Water Plan and the Platte Water Atlas, are also included.
In the coming months, WRDS will also be releasing a new version of the State Climate Office website. This revamped website will host links to Wyoming climate, weather, climate change, drought information, data portals, and Wyoming climate news and events. The site will also feature precipitation data from CoCoRahs (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) as well as climate monitoring maps, graphs and downloadable data compiled by the State Climate Office. The State Climate Office is updating related GIS web mapping tools that allow users to search and view maps and data related to wells, streamflow, precipitation, public water systems, and irrigated lands.
For more information about these products, please contact Steve Gray, WRDS Director (sgray8@uwyo.edu) or Chris Nicholson, WRDS Outreach and Technology Coordinator (cnichol5@uwyo.edu).
What’s Up in the State Engineer’s Office...
Going High Tech for ET
Anyone involved in water resources management understands the importance of accurate evapotranspiration (ET) estimates over large landscapes. ET is one of the most important parameters for conducting water balance studies. In addition, as competition for water continues to increase across water users, the need for high quality ET estimates from irrigated lands increases. Yet, the quantification of ET is typically very imprecise. There are methods to acquire precise ET measurements, but they involve expensive equipment and significant know-how to turn complex data sets into meaningful ET related numbers.
As part of the State Engineer’s Office (SEO) Colorado River Compact Administration Program, there is an ongoing cooperative effort to develop high quality ET estimates in the Green River basin. In addition to the SEO, project cooperators include Dr. Fred Ogden (UW – Civil Engineering), Eli Rodemaker and Dr. Ken Driese (Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, WyGISC), Dr. Steve Gray (State Climatologist) and Dr. Jan Hendrickx (New Mexico Tech).
The project includes three primary components. First, the WyGISC team and Dr. Hendrickx have been working to calibrate the METRIC™ evapotranspiration model (Allen et al. 2007) to conditions present in the Green River basin of Wyoming. METRIC™ calculates ET using a surface energy balance algorithm applied to satellite imagery containing both short wave and thermal information. METRIC™ is designed to produce high quality and accurate ET maps for regions up to a few hundred kilometers in size.
The second component involves the installation and operation of eddy covariance towers in the basin. Eddy covariance towers utilize a suite of instruments to measure water vapor moving away from the ground surface. Measurements are made at a sampling rate necessary to capture all variations in the data. This effort is being lead by Dr. Ogden. Two towers were installed this past summer. One tower was installed along Duck Creek just west of Pinedale. The site is a sub-irrigated, wet meadow. The second tower was installed north of Cora in a native sagebrush-steppe community. Data collected from the tower sites will be used for two general purposes. The two sites provide information needed to calibrate the METRIC™ evapotranspiration model. Also, the Duck Creek site can be used to develop a highly accurate reference ET data set for use in other applications.
The third and final project component will involve the use of scintillometers. A scintillometer is a type of laser that is shot across an irrigated field just above the height of vegetation to a detector plate. The receiving detector allows measurement of the transfer of heat between vegetation and the air above (called the sensible heat flux), from which ET can be calculated. The scintillometer portion of the project will be lead by Dr. Hendrickx.
The ET measurement project will last from three to five years. The desired results will be very useful and easily applied tools which can be used to provide precise ET estimates from specific land parcels. Such tools are necessary in day to day water resource management in the Green River basin. If these tools can be built around extremely high quality data sets, the confidence in their application and outputs will be much greater and should allow for better water management decisions.
Funding for this project has been provided by the Wyoming Legislature to the Wyoming State Climate Office and the State Engineer’s Office.
Any questions regarding this program should be directed to Steve Wolff, Colorado River Coordinator, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, swolff@seo.wyo.gov (307) 777-1942.
WWDO - River Basin Planning
River basin planning is a continuing process and the Water Development Office (WWDO) and cooperating agencies are working on a number of studies and projects to gather additional data concerning the basins. Two new studies are being proposed for funding in 2009. A feasibility study for developing a simulation model and decision support system is proposed for the Green River basin and a groundwater study is being proposed for the Platte River basin. Additionally, a review and evaluation of the 2001 Bear River Basin Plan will be completed by an in-house river basin planning team. Status of other river basin planning studies and projects are as follows:
The Green River Basin Plan Update and Groundwater Study is moving along. The WWDO is expecting a draft final groundwater report in October. The groundwater study is being headed by the Wyoming State Geological Service (WSGS). The WSGS is being supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Water Resources Data System, University of Wyoming (WRDS). A final product presentation will be held October 23, 6 p.m., at the Western Wyoming Community College auditorium, in Rock Springs. The WSGS team will discuss the aquifers found within the basin, their properties, estimated recharge rates and recharge areas, and recommendations for furthering groundwater work in the basin. The public is encouraged to attend.
The Wind/Bighorn River Basin Plan Update was funded by the 2008 Legislature. This update will ensure that data from the 2003 plan is still current, and will advance the development of several planning tools for the basin’s surface and groundwater resource management. Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) was hired in May to complete the surface water portion of the update. The groundwater investigations for the update are being completed by the WSGS, the USGS, and WRDS. Project progress will be reported later this year or early in 2009 at a Basin Advisory Group meeting, so stay tuned to the water plan website for meeting dates and times.
Please visit the state water plan website (http:// waterplan.state.wy.us/)
Calendar of Water Events
October 14-17, 2008 - Western States Water Council , Oklahoma City, OK
October 17-18, 2008 - Bear River Commission meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
October 22-23, 2008 - Upper Missouri Water Association meeting, Spearfish, SD
October 23, 2008 - Green River Basin BAG meeting, Rock Springs, WY
October 27-31, 2008 - Interstate Council on Water Policy annual meeting, Sacramento, CA
November 3-7, 2008 - SEO Board of Control meeting, Cheyenne, WY
November 4, 2008 - SEO Water Forum, Cheyenne, WY
November 6-7, 2008 - WWDC meeting, Casper, WY
November 12-14, 2008 - Green River Basin Open Houses, Rock Springs, Kemmerer, Pinedale, WY
December 1-2, 2008 - Missouri River Association of States and Tribes meeting, Rapid City, SD
December 2, 2008 - SEO Water Forum, Cheyenne, WY
December 3-4, 2008 - Yellowstone River Compact Commission meeting, Chico Hot Springs, MT
December 15-17, 2008 - Colorado River Water Users Association meeting , Los Vegas, NV
December 16, 2008 - WWDC meeting, Cheyenne, WY
Upper Green River Basin Storage
Beginning around 1930 and over the decades since, the federal government and the State of Wyoming have financed studies that identified potential dam and reservoir sites in the upper Green River basin. Interest in constructing new reservoirs was and currently is fueled by water shortages that occur in the area.
Currently, the Wyoming Water Development Office’s (WWDO) Dam and Reservoir Program is focusing on storage opportunities in the Green River tributaries west of the mainstem from Warren Bridge to Big Piney, Wyoming. Several Level II studies in this area have been approved since 2005 as part of the Planning Omnibus Water Bill. This focus has evolved from river basin planning that pointed to the need for supplemental irrigation water in the subbasins. These potential reservoirs would also likely have secondary benefits such as environmental and recreational values. A large part of the studies has been aimed at hydrologic analysis, quantifying shortages and identifying potential on-channel and off-channel storage sites. Understanding the basin hydrology is critical for identifying water storage opportunities, and is dependent upon stream flow and diversion measurements, record keeping, and understanding consumptive use for various beneficial uses. Hydrologic models are utilized to simplify the complex interplay between demand, water availability and the environment. However, models are only as good as the quantity and quality of data input and one problem with current efforts is the limited data available. This requires additional data collection and modeling to evaluate potential reservoir sites. Both the State Engineer’s Office (SEO) and the WWDO are undertaking efforts to gather more data. The SEO is working to gain a better understanding of actual consumptive use in the Green River basin and the WWDO will establish stream gage locations in subbasins that appear to have the potential for storage projects.
Additionally, with reservoir projects, comes extensive alternatives analysis and screening criteria, which will be required during any permitting process. Economic analyses are also being conducted to determine the benefits to the state and the project sponsor, as well as the sponsor’s ability to pay. Historically, cost and ability to pay have proven to be a major project detractor.
Due to elevation and climate, crops grown in the Green River basin are limited to forage crops and the revenue is not sufficient to cover a sponsor’s debt and operation and maintenance obligations for a dam and reservoir project. In response, the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) has provided specific criteria for the Dam and Reservoir Program to aid in making storage projects more affordable to sponsors. The complete Wyoming Water Development Program operating criteria is located on WWDC’s website in PDF format at http://wwdc.state.wy.us/opcrit/final_opcrit.pdf. Furthermore, open houses for the Upper Green River Basin Storage Projects will be held this fall in several locations as outlined in the special points of interest section on this page. The open houses will provide the opportunity, for those interested, to learn more about the new operating criteria and potential projects that have been identified in the basin.
Weather Modification Pilot Program Readies for Season
Program managers, scientists and field technicians conducting the 5-year Weather Modification Pilot Program for the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre and Wind River Ranges are busy preparing for this year’s operations which commence on November 15, 2008. The winter cloud seeding program, which was approved by the 2005 Wyoming Legislature, aims to increase snowpack and runoff within Wyoming’s Green River, Platte River and Wind River basins and utilizes the latest technology for operations and independent evaluation procedures.
Responsibility for deployment, operations and maintenance of the program rests with Weather Modification, Incorporated (WMI), Fargo, ND, while evaluation of the program is the responsibility of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO. The coming operational season builds on a successful 2007-08 campaign which included 26 ground-based seeding events in the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre Ranges for a total of 258 generator hours seeded (note: 4 generators running simultaneously for 4 hours equals 16 total generator hours), and 26 seeding events in the Wind River Range for a total of 786 generator hours seeded.
NCAR has developed a strict experimental design for the Medicine Bow/Sierra Madre Ranges target area. This design was peer reviewed by experts across the country, with significant input being provided by faculty at the University of Wyoming (UW) Department of Atmospheric Science. Included in the randomized crossover design are 16 ground-based generators (8 per mountain range), a network of high resolution precipitation gages (target and controls), 2 radiometers (devices for identification of liquid water above the peaks), weather balloons, numerous weather stations, and snow chemistry sampling around seeding events as conducted by the Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV.
While operations in the Wind River Range are not randomized, similar seeding criteria must be met before forecasters can call a case, which are not subject to the 4-hour limit. The program for this target area includes 10 ground-based generators, weather stations, a radiometer, snow chemistry sampling, and relies heavily on already deployed climatological monitoring devices for physical evaluation.
Finally, it should be noted that the unique opportunity presented by the state’s weather modification pilot program has spurred “piggy-back” research as conducted by the UW Department. of Atmospheric Science who are utilizing their King Air aircraft, Wyoming Cloud Radar, and lidar to detect the signature of glaciogenic cloud seeding above the Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming. It is anticipated that these flights will resume February, 2009
News from Water Resources Data System
The Water Resources Data System (WRDS) is pleased to announce that the Wyoming Water Development Office (WWDO) website (http://wwdc.state.wy.us/) and State Water Plan Website (http:// waterplan.state.wy.us/) have undergone major updates.
Upgrades to these extensive websites include improved ease of use, better navigation, and new features. From the WWDO website users can easily navigate through the different planning programs and access information regarding specific projects. Users can also obtain information on WWDO consultants and project application information. Furthermore, access to different agency publications has been streamlined.
State Water Plan website users can now navigate though river basin plans and Basin Advisory Group (BAG) information with greater ease. Previously, the index pages for these were combined, causing some user confusion. Now, river basin plans are separate from BAG agendas, meeting records and reference material. Additionally, the new state water plan site incorporates river basin plans with Wyoming water facts and historical planning documents, along with GIS web mapping products. A new water search engine, and frequently used online planning products, such as the Statewide Framework Water Plan and the Platte Water Atlas, are also included.
In the coming months, WRDS will also be releasing a new version of the State Climate Office website. This revamped website will host links to Wyoming climate, weather, climate change, drought information, data portals, and Wyoming climate news and events. The site will also feature precipitation data from CoCoRahs (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) as well as climate monitoring maps, graphs and downloadable data compiled by the State Climate Office. The State Climate Office is updating related GIS web mapping tools that allow users to search and view maps and data related to wells, streamflow, precipitation, public water systems, and irrigated lands.
For more information about these products, please contact Steve Gray, WRDS Director (sgray8@uwyo.edu) or Chris Nicholson, WRDS Outreach and Technology Coordinator (cnichol5@uwyo.edu).
What’s Up in the State Engineer’s Office...
Going High Tech for ET
Anyone involved in water resources management understands the importance of accurate evapotranspiration (ET) estimates over large landscapes. ET is one of the most important parameters for conducting water balance studies. In addition, as competition for water continues to increase across water users, the need for high quality ET estimates from irrigated lands increases. Yet, the quantification of ET is typically very imprecise. There are methods to acquire precise ET measurements, but they involve expensive equipment and significant know-how to turn complex data sets into meaningful ET related numbers.
As part of the State Engineer’s Office (SEO) Colorado River Compact Administration Program, there is an ongoing cooperative effort to develop high quality ET estimates in the Green River basin. In addition to the SEO, project cooperators include Dr. Fred Ogden (UW – Civil Engineering), Eli Rodemaker and Dr. Ken Driese (Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, WyGISC), Dr. Steve Gray (State Climatologist) and Dr. Jan Hendrickx (New Mexico Tech).
The project includes three primary components. First, the WyGISC team and Dr. Hendrickx have been working to calibrate the METRIC™ evapotranspiration model (Allen et al. 2007) to conditions present in the Green River basin of Wyoming. METRIC™ calculates ET using a surface energy balance algorithm applied to satellite imagery containing both short wave and thermal information. METRIC™ is designed to produce high quality and accurate ET maps for regions up to a few hundred kilometers in size.
The second component involves the installation and operation of eddy covariance towers in the basin. Eddy covariance towers utilize a suite of instruments to measure water vapor moving away from the ground surface. Measurements are made at a sampling rate necessary to capture all variations in the data. This effort is being lead by Dr. Ogden. Two towers were installed this past summer. One tower was installed along Duck Creek just west of Pinedale. The site is a sub-irrigated, wet meadow. The second tower was installed north of Cora in a native sagebrush-steppe community. Data collected from the tower sites will be used for two general purposes. The two sites provide information needed to calibrate the METRIC™ evapotranspiration model. Also, the Duck Creek site can be used to develop a highly accurate reference ET data set for use in other applications.
The third and final project component will involve the use of scintillometers. A scintillometer is a type of laser that is shot across an irrigated field just above the height of vegetation to a detector plate. The receiving detector allows measurement of the transfer of heat between vegetation and the air above (called the sensible heat flux), from which ET can be calculated. The scintillometer portion of the project will be lead by Dr. Hendrickx.
The ET measurement project will last from three to five years. The desired results will be very useful and easily applied tools which can be used to provide precise ET estimates from specific land parcels. Such tools are necessary in day to day water resource management in the Green River basin. If these tools can be built around extremely high quality data sets, the confidence in their application and outputs will be much greater and should allow for better water management decisions.
Funding for this project has been provided by the Wyoming Legislature to the Wyoming State Climate Office and the State Engineer’s Office.
Any questions regarding this program should be directed to Steve Wolff, Colorado River Coordinator, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, swolff@seo.wyo.gov (307) 777-1942.
WWDO - River Basin Planning
River basin planning is a continuing process and the Water Development Office (WWDO) and cooperating agencies are working on a number of studies and projects to gather additional data concerning the basins. Two new studies are being proposed for funding in 2009. A feasibility study for developing a simulation model and decision support system is proposed for the Green River basin and a groundwater study is being proposed for the Platte River basin. Additionally, a review and evaluation of the 2001 Bear River Basin Plan will be completed by an in-house river basin planning team. Status of other river basin planning studies and projects are as follows:
The Green River Basin Plan Update and Groundwater Study is moving along. The WWDO is expecting a draft final groundwater report in October. The groundwater study is being headed by the Wyoming State Geological Service (WSGS). The WSGS is being supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Water Resources Data System, University of Wyoming (WRDS). A final product presentation will be held October 23, 6 p.m., at the Western Wyoming Community College auditorium, in Rock Springs. The WSGS team will discuss the aquifers found within the basin, their properties, estimated recharge rates and recharge areas, and recommendations for furthering groundwater work in the basin. The public is encouraged to attend.
The Wind/Bighorn River Basin Plan Update was funded by the 2008 Legislature. This update will ensure that data from the 2003 plan is still current, and will advance the development of several planning tools for the basin’s surface and groundwater resource management. Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) was hired in May to complete the surface water portion of the update. The groundwater investigations for the update are being completed by the WSGS, the USGS, and WRDS. Project progress will be reported later this year or early in 2009 at a Basin Advisory Group meeting, so stay tuned to the water plan website for meeting dates and times.
Please visit the state water plan website (http:// waterplan.state.wy.us/)
Calendar of Water Events
October 14-17, 2008 - Western States Water Council , Oklahoma City, OK
October 17-18, 2008 - Bear River Commission meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
October 22-23, 2008 - Upper Missouri Water Association meeting, Spearfish, SD
October 23, 2008 - Green River Basin BAG meeting, Rock Springs, WY
October 27-31, 2008 - Interstate Council on Water Policy annual meeting, Sacramento, CA
November 3-7, 2008 - SEO Board of Control meeting, Cheyenne, WY
November 4, 2008 - SEO Water Forum, Cheyenne, WY
November 6-7, 2008 - WWDC meeting, Casper, WY
November 12-14, 2008 - Green River Basin Open Houses, Rock Springs, Kemmerer, Pinedale, WY
December 1-2, 2008 - Missouri River Association of States and Tribes meeting, Rapid City, SD
December 2, 2008 - SEO Water Forum, Cheyenne, WY
December 3-4, 2008 - Yellowstone River Compact Commission meeting, Chico Hot Springs, MT
December 15-17, 2008 - Colorado River Water Users Association meeting , Los Vegas, NV
December 16, 2008 - WWDC meeting, Cheyenne, WY
Friday, October 31, 2008
Defenders of Wildlife Wolf Update
It’s an awful Halloween surprise.
Earlier this week, the Bush/Cheney Administration launched another attack on wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies -- re-packaging a proposal that could lead to the killing of as many as 1,000 of America’s most important and iconic animals.
Take action now. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that our wolves deserve a lasting future in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.
Following several bloody months of wolf killing in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, a federal court ruled earlier this year against an earlier version of the Administration’s proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the region’s wolves. In response, the Bush/Cheney Administration actually withdrew that proposal just a few weeks ago.
But with the clock winding down on the Bush/Administration, federal officials are launching a last-ditch attempt to re-package and ram through a plan that could lead to the slaughter of as many as two-thirds of the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies wolf population.
Don’t let them get away with it. Urge federal officials to come up with a responsible management plan that ensures a lasting future for these majestic animals.
Time and time again, Defenders of Wildlife has been at the forefront of efforts to save wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, fighting -- and winning -- in court, on the ground and in Congress to ensure responsible, balanced management of our wolves.
In the last two years, caring people like you have sent tens of thousands of messages, made thousands of calls, and donated to help us fight the Bush/Cheney Administration and their allies in court, educate the public and support wolf-saving efforts in the field.
Help us safeguard wolves. Take action now.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to stop this audacious 11th-hour sneak attack on our wolves. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is only accepting public comments until November 28th, so please take action now.
For the Wild Ones,
Rodger Schlickeisen, President Signature
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
Rodger Schlickeisen, President (c)Daniel J. Cox/www.naturalexpos
P.S. Over the next month, we need to generate thousands of public comments on this outrageous plan. We need to mobilize conservation activists to show up at public meetings and speak out. And we have to prepare for what could be another long, difficult legal fight ahead.
Earlier this week, the Bush/Cheney Administration launched another attack on wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies -- re-packaging a proposal that could lead to the killing of as many as 1,000 of America’s most important and iconic animals.
Take action now. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that our wolves deserve a lasting future in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.
Following several bloody months of wolf killing in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, a federal court ruled earlier this year against an earlier version of the Administration’s proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the region’s wolves. In response, the Bush/Cheney Administration actually withdrew that proposal just a few weeks ago.
But with the clock winding down on the Bush/Administration, federal officials are launching a last-ditch attempt to re-package and ram through a plan that could lead to the slaughter of as many as two-thirds of the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies wolf population.
Don’t let them get away with it. Urge federal officials to come up with a responsible management plan that ensures a lasting future for these majestic animals.
Time and time again, Defenders of Wildlife has been at the forefront of efforts to save wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, fighting -- and winning -- in court, on the ground and in Congress to ensure responsible, balanced management of our wolves.
In the last two years, caring people like you have sent tens of thousands of messages, made thousands of calls, and donated to help us fight the Bush/Cheney Administration and their allies in court, educate the public and support wolf-saving efforts in the field.
Help us safeguard wolves. Take action now.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to stop this audacious 11th-hour sneak attack on our wolves. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is only accepting public comments until November 28th, so please take action now.
For the Wild Ones,
Rodger Schlickeisen, President Signature
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
Rodger Schlickeisen, President (c)Daniel J. Cox/www.naturalexpos
P.S. Over the next month, we need to generate thousands of public comments on this outrageous plan. We need to mobilize conservation activists to show up at public meetings and speak out. And we have to prepare for what could be another long, difficult legal fight ahead.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Some old news, again, from the Casper Star
GREEN RIVER -- The Green River Basin in western Wyoming is one of the few areas left in Wyoming that has water to develop and land needed to build dams and reservoirs.
Water officials believe more storage is needed, particularly for irrigators in the basin and for towns and communities including Pinedale, Big Piney and Boulder that are growing due to the natural gas boom.
The state has been searching for decades, however, for just the right spot to build a dam across the Upper Green River.
One site often mentioned sits between the Warren and Kendall bridges in Sublette County north of Pinedale, about 60 miles south of Jackson, according to Wyoming Water Development Commission officials.
The WWDC presented a report to the Legislature's Select Water Committee in September that looked at the pros and cons of building what is known as the Kendall dam.
The commission will decide whether to hold a public hearing on that report when the WWDC meets during a workshop in Casper on Wednesday. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department regional office.
WWDC Director Mike Purcell stressed on Monday that no decision on the construction of any dam has been made. He said the decision on whether to hold the public hearing will be made at the commission's discretion.
Purcell said there have been two reservoir sites identified upstream of Warren Bridge where the river crosses U.S. Highway 191 and below the Green River Lakes. He said the state evaluated the sites during initial studies back in the 1970s.
"We have some commissioners who are interested in those sites," Purcell said.
"So the purpose of our workshop discussion is to find out how much interest there is among the commission and if there is (sufficient interest), then we should schedule some public hearings in the area to see what other people think," he said. "We are looking throughout the basin to see if we can develop a portfolio of reservoir projects that we are comfortable with and think that could be constructed."
Past reports have shown that damming the river could provide irrigation water for about 71,000 acres and provide much-needed water during times of drought.
But the most recent WWDC report said it would take lots of time, money and a hard-to-get federal construction permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the Kendall dam and reservoir project. "It explains the hurdles that would have to be overcome to pursue the project," Purcell said.
Cost projections have run as high as $250 million to $400 million for the project. "Let's just say (these projects) are expensive," Purcell said.
One site of several
In 2005, commission members and members of the Legislature's Select Water Committee toured the Upper Green River Basin as part of the hunt for possible dam sites. The state has identified three lower basin sites -- Sand Hill, McNish Wash and Church reservoir -- that have the most potential for a dam and reservoir.
But the agency is also considering several other sites higher up -- such as the Kendall and Warren bridges sites -- in the basin in the foothills of the western slope of the Wind River Mountains.
"We are basically in the process of evaluating the feasibility of some smaller reservoirs on the tributaries of the Green River. This particular project would be on the main stem of the Green River, however," he said. "We're in the process of developing a plan that's acceptable to the commission and the public ... and this would be one component of that."
Wyoming has rights to water in the Green River, but has not exercised them.
The state generates about 18 million acre feet of surface water each year. An acre foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land one foot deep, or about 325,851 gallons.
Under various interstate river compacts and court decrees, Wyoming is entitled to consume about 4 million of those acre feet. Right now, the state uses about 2.8 million, leaving some 1.2 million acre feet of water available in areas such as the Upper Green River Basin.
Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.
Water officials believe more storage is needed, particularly for irrigators in the basin and for towns and communities including Pinedale, Big Piney and Boulder that are growing due to the natural gas boom.
The state has been searching for decades, however, for just the right spot to build a dam across the Upper Green River.
One site often mentioned sits between the Warren and Kendall bridges in Sublette County north of Pinedale, about 60 miles south of Jackson, according to Wyoming Water Development Commission officials.
The WWDC presented a report to the Legislature's Select Water Committee in September that looked at the pros and cons of building what is known as the Kendall dam.
The commission will decide whether to hold a public hearing on that report when the WWDC meets during a workshop in Casper on Wednesday. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department regional office.
WWDC Director Mike Purcell stressed on Monday that no decision on the construction of any dam has been made. He said the decision on whether to hold the public hearing will be made at the commission's discretion.
Purcell said there have been two reservoir sites identified upstream of Warren Bridge where the river crosses U.S. Highway 191 and below the Green River Lakes. He said the state evaluated the sites during initial studies back in the 1970s.
"We have some commissioners who are interested in those sites," Purcell said.
"So the purpose of our workshop discussion is to find out how much interest there is among the commission and if there is (sufficient interest), then we should schedule some public hearings in the area to see what other people think," he said. "We are looking throughout the basin to see if we can develop a portfolio of reservoir projects that we are comfortable with and think that could be constructed."
Past reports have shown that damming the river could provide irrigation water for about 71,000 acres and provide much-needed water during times of drought.
But the most recent WWDC report said it would take lots of time, money and a hard-to-get federal construction permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the Kendall dam and reservoir project. "It explains the hurdles that would have to be overcome to pursue the project," Purcell said.
Cost projections have run as high as $250 million to $400 million for the project. "Let's just say (these projects) are expensive," Purcell said.
One site of several
In 2005, commission members and members of the Legislature's Select Water Committee toured the Upper Green River Basin as part of the hunt for possible dam sites. The state has identified three lower basin sites -- Sand Hill, McNish Wash and Church reservoir -- that have the most potential for a dam and reservoir.
But the agency is also considering several other sites higher up -- such as the Kendall and Warren bridges sites -- in the basin in the foothills of the western slope of the Wind River Mountains.
"We are basically in the process of evaluating the feasibility of some smaller reservoirs on the tributaries of the Green River. This particular project would be on the main stem of the Green River, however," he said. "We're in the process of developing a plan that's acceptable to the commission and the public ... and this would be one component of that."
Wyoming has rights to water in the Green River, but has not exercised them.
The state generates about 18 million acre feet of surface water each year. An acre foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land one foot deep, or about 325,851 gallons.
Under various interstate river compacts and court decrees, Wyoming is entitled to consume about 4 million of those acre feet. Right now, the state uses about 2.8 million, leaving some 1.2 million acre feet of water available in areas such as the Upper Green River Basin.
Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Green River... Older News Post, But Good Info
From Jackson Hole News:
Board mulls hearing on Upper Green dam
Water commission not convinced reservoir idea would fly, but may consider public views
Noah Brenner
December 26, 2007
The Wyoming Water Development Commission will meet Jan. 8 in Casper
to consider whether to hold a public hearing on a plan to build a dam
across the Upper Green River.
The idea of damming the Green River between Warren Bridge, where it
crosses Highway 191, and Green River lakes on the edge of the Bridger
Wilderness has been studied over the last 50 years.
The dam would be in Sublette County about 60 miles south of Jackson.
In September, the commission released a study that found a mainstem
dam on the Upper Green River would be prohibitively expensive, would
hurt instream flow and wetlands and would likely never receive a
federal construction permit.
That report was presented to the Wyoming Legislature's Select Water
Committee at a workshop meeting in August, and now the Water
Development Commission will decide whether to present the study to
the public at a formal meeting.
Wyoming Water Development Commission Director Mike Purcell said the
possibility of a public meeting does not mean the state is
considering moving ahead with a dam project.
"It is very premature to assume one darn thing is going to happen,"
Purcell said.
With the conclusions drawn in the state report, the idea would seem
to be dead, but Purcell said Dan Budd, a water development
commissioner who represents Sublette County, continues to push the
idea.
"I suggested that before we invest one more dime we ought to see what
the public thinks about it," Purcell said.
In theory, it only takes one "fatal flaw" to kill a reclamation
project. The two reservoir sites considered in the report have
numerous fatal flaws, according to analysis by water development
commission staff.
Condensed to 18 pages, the report details the costs and benefits of
two sites, the Upper and Lower Kendall Reservoir sites between
Kendall Bridge and Warren Bridge on the Green. Both dams would
require miles of canals and tunnels to bring the water to ranchers.
"It is doubtful, however, that the number of benefits or
beneficiaries would be sufficient to justify the expense for
constructing the project," the report states.
Besides the imbalance in the cost-benefit analysis, the report notes
that the state holds an instream flow permit on almost 10 miles of
the river to protect the fishery, most of which would be inundated by
the dam.
Since the middle of last century, the state of Wyoming has been
studying the feasibility of constructing a dam to impound the Green
River somewhere between Warren Bridge and Kendall Bridge or even
higher upstream at Green River Lakes. Repeatedly analysts and
consultants have told the state that the project is not permit-able
because there are no justifiable water shortages in the immediate
area and it could be environmentally damaging.
The area is prized for its recreation, wildlife and scenery, and is
popular with Teton County residents and anglers who find the river
less crowded than some public lands in Jackson Hole.
Wyoming has rights to water in the Green River but has not exercised
those rights fully. Some officials are wary of allowing the water to
flow out of state unused, even though the Colorado River Compact
protects Wyoming's ownership.
The reach of the river in question is eligible for protection under
the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Pinedale Field Office of the
federal Bureau of Land Management and Bridger-Teton National Forest
have managed it for wild and scenic values. But the Pinedale Resource
Management Plan, which governs land use throughout the Pinedale Field
Office, is being revised.
The Upper Green River Joint Powers Board, with the help of the water
development commission continues to look at dam sites along the
Wyoming Range front that are "off-channel," meaning they would not
impound streams that flow year-round or on smaller tributaries.
The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at the Wyoming Game and
Fish offices in Casper. The building is at 3030 Energy Lane, and the
meeting will be in Suite 100.
Board mulls hearing on Upper Green dam
Water commission not convinced reservoir idea would fly, but may consider public views
Noah Brenner
December 26, 2007
The Wyoming Water Development Commission will meet Jan. 8 in Casper
to consider whether to hold a public hearing on a plan to build a dam
across the Upper Green River.
The idea of damming the Green River between Warren Bridge, where it
crosses Highway 191, and Green River lakes on the edge of the Bridger
Wilderness has been studied over the last 50 years.
The dam would be in Sublette County about 60 miles south of Jackson.
In September, the commission released a study that found a mainstem
dam on the Upper Green River would be prohibitively expensive, would
hurt instream flow and wetlands and would likely never receive a
federal construction permit.
That report was presented to the Wyoming Legislature's Select Water
Committee at a workshop meeting in August, and now the Water
Development Commission will decide whether to present the study to
the public at a formal meeting.
Wyoming Water Development Commission Director Mike Purcell said the
possibility of a public meeting does not mean the state is
considering moving ahead with a dam project.
"It is very premature to assume one darn thing is going to happen,"
Purcell said.
With the conclusions drawn in the state report, the idea would seem
to be dead, but Purcell said Dan Budd, a water development
commissioner who represents Sublette County, continues to push the
idea.
"I suggested that before we invest one more dime we ought to see what
the public thinks about it," Purcell said.
In theory, it only takes one "fatal flaw" to kill a reclamation
project. The two reservoir sites considered in the report have
numerous fatal flaws, according to analysis by water development
commission staff.
Condensed to 18 pages, the report details the costs and benefits of
two sites, the Upper and Lower Kendall Reservoir sites between
Kendall Bridge and Warren Bridge on the Green. Both dams would
require miles of canals and tunnels to bring the water to ranchers.
"It is doubtful, however, that the number of benefits or
beneficiaries would be sufficient to justify the expense for
constructing the project," the report states.
Besides the imbalance in the cost-benefit analysis, the report notes
that the state holds an instream flow permit on almost 10 miles of
the river to protect the fishery, most of which would be inundated by
the dam.
Since the middle of last century, the state of Wyoming has been
studying the feasibility of constructing a dam to impound the Green
River somewhere between Warren Bridge and Kendall Bridge or even
higher upstream at Green River Lakes. Repeatedly analysts and
consultants have told the state that the project is not permit-able
because there are no justifiable water shortages in the immediate
area and it could be environmentally damaging.
The area is prized for its recreation, wildlife and scenery, and is
popular with Teton County residents and anglers who find the river
less crowded than some public lands in Jackson Hole.
Wyoming has rights to water in the Green River but has not exercised
those rights fully. Some officials are wary of allowing the water to
flow out of state unused, even though the Colorado River Compact
protects Wyoming's ownership.
The reach of the river in question is eligible for protection under
the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Pinedale Field Office of the
federal Bureau of Land Management and Bridger-Teton National Forest
have managed it for wild and scenic values. But the Pinedale Resource
Management Plan, which governs land use throughout the Pinedale Field
Office, is being revised.
The Upper Green River Joint Powers Board, with the help of the water
development commission continues to look at dam sites along the
Wyoming Range front that are "off-channel," meaning they would not
impound streams that flow year-round or on smaller tributaries.
The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at the Wyoming Game and
Fish offices in Casper. The building is at 3030 Energy Lane, and the
meeting will be in Suite 100.
So It Begins... All Over Again....
(Media-Newswire.com) - Oct. 24, 2008 -- A major conference early next month, sponsored by the Stroock Forum at the University of Wyoming, will focus on managing water in the Upper Green River in Pinedale.
The 2008 Stroock Forum, "Water Management on the Upper Green River," will be at the Rendezvous Pointe Senior Center, located at 425 E. Magnolia in Pinedale, from 1-5 p.m. Friday Nov. 14, and from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. The event is free and open to the public.
To register for the conference, visit the Web site at www.uwyo.edu/STROOCKFORUM/ or call the office of the Stroock Professor at ( 307 ) 766-2571.
The conference will feature experts discussing topics ranging from climate change to groundwater quality to thirsty downstream states, and how these topics affect the Upper Green River basin and the people who live there.
The UW conference is sponsored by UW's Stroock Forum on Wyoming Lands and People, founded by Tom Stroock of Casper. He is a former Wyoming legislative leader and former ambassador to Guatemala under President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal will give an introductory talk on the enduring significance of watershed management issues in the basin. The public will have an opportunity to discuss management options with each other and with the conference's experts.
Wyoming's state climatologist, state geologist and state engineer will be among the speakers addressing issues such as climate change, energy development, water rights and water values.
Steve Gray, the state climatologist, will discuss climate change and its potential impacts on water management. Ron Surdam, state geologist, will discuss the continued pressures of energy development area residents can expect and then the quantity and quality of groundwater in the area. KJ Reddy, UW School of Energy Resources associate director for academics, will present specific problems of energy development and groundwater.
He will be followed by a discussion of changes in the glaciers feeding the surface water supply of the Green River, featuring Charles Love, Western Wyoming Community College geology professor.
Mike Purcell, Wyoming Water Development Commission ( WWDC ) director, closes the first day session presenting issues that surround new water storage.
Wyoming State Engineer Pat Tyrrell opens the Saturday session talking about Colorado River challenges that affect the Green River Basin. An economist who has studied the values of water as it is now managed on the Upper Green River, Ernie Niemi of ECONorthwest in Oregon, will then discuss his research work and the issues raised by those findings.
Two panels will close the event. One panel will discuss the needs and pressures experienced by a variety of Green River users, and the other on-ground water management initiatives and its potential.
Another Pinedale event, scheduled in coordination with the conference, will let residents review and give their opinions on studies the WWDC has done on a variety of water storage possibilities in the Green River Basin.
The WWDC will host an open house at 5 p.m., also at Rendezvous Pointe, Friday, Nov. 14, for the public to learn about studies the commission has funded regarding potential dam and storage sites in the Green River Basin.
The water development studies reviewed at the agency open house will include a look at not only a proposal for a dam on the main stem of the Green River near the Warren Bridge ( which drew considerable public attention last winter ), but also a number of other proposals for smaller storage facilities located along tributaries.
The WWDC will host similar open houses with introductory talks at other locations in the Green River Basin earlier in the week. Meetings are scheduled at Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12; and at Kemmerer's public library, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13.
I will write a little bit more about this later on, it was just too important to delay any longer.
The 2008 Stroock Forum, "Water Management on the Upper Green River," will be at the Rendezvous Pointe Senior Center, located at 425 E. Magnolia in Pinedale, from 1-5 p.m. Friday Nov. 14, and from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. The event is free and open to the public.
To register for the conference, visit the Web site at www.uwyo.edu/STROOCKFORUM/ or call the office of the Stroock Professor at ( 307 ) 766-2571.
The conference will feature experts discussing topics ranging from climate change to groundwater quality to thirsty downstream states, and how these topics affect the Upper Green River basin and the people who live there.
The UW conference is sponsored by UW's Stroock Forum on Wyoming Lands and People, founded by Tom Stroock of Casper. He is a former Wyoming legislative leader and former ambassador to Guatemala under President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal will give an introductory talk on the enduring significance of watershed management issues in the basin. The public will have an opportunity to discuss management options with each other and with the conference's experts.
Wyoming's state climatologist, state geologist and state engineer will be among the speakers addressing issues such as climate change, energy development, water rights and water values.
Steve Gray, the state climatologist, will discuss climate change and its potential impacts on water management. Ron Surdam, state geologist, will discuss the continued pressures of energy development area residents can expect and then the quantity and quality of groundwater in the area. KJ Reddy, UW School of Energy Resources associate director for academics, will present specific problems of energy development and groundwater.
He will be followed by a discussion of changes in the glaciers feeding the surface water supply of the Green River, featuring Charles Love, Western Wyoming Community College geology professor.
Mike Purcell, Wyoming Water Development Commission ( WWDC ) director, closes the first day session presenting issues that surround new water storage.
Wyoming State Engineer Pat Tyrrell opens the Saturday session talking about Colorado River challenges that affect the Green River Basin. An economist who has studied the values of water as it is now managed on the Upper Green River, Ernie Niemi of ECONorthwest in Oregon, will then discuss his research work and the issues raised by those findings.
Two panels will close the event. One panel will discuss the needs and pressures experienced by a variety of Green River users, and the other on-ground water management initiatives and its potential.
Another Pinedale event, scheduled in coordination with the conference, will let residents review and give their opinions on studies the WWDC has done on a variety of water storage possibilities in the Green River Basin.
The WWDC will host an open house at 5 p.m., also at Rendezvous Pointe, Friday, Nov. 14, for the public to learn about studies the commission has funded regarding potential dam and storage sites in the Green River Basin.
The water development studies reviewed at the agency open house will include a look at not only a proposal for a dam on the main stem of the Green River near the Warren Bridge ( which drew considerable public attention last winter ), but also a number of other proposals for smaller storage facilities located along tributaries.
The WWDC will host similar open houses with introductory talks at other locations in the Green River Basin earlier in the week. Meetings are scheduled at Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12; and at Kemmerer's public library, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13.
I will write a little bit more about this later on, it was just too important to delay any longer.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Concerning Grizzle Bears... from the Casper Star Tribune
By The Associated Press:
JACKSON -- Biologists estimate that 39 grizzly bears have died in northwestern Wyoming this year.
Seventeen bears were shot by hunters and enough male grizzly bears have died to exceed a 15 percent mortality threshold for management review.
Under that provision, if the mortality rate for male grizzly bears exceeds 15 percent for three years in a row, state agencies would review their management policies for grizzly bears.
Such a review could result in putting grizzlies back on the Endangered Species List.
If another female grizzly is killed by a hunter this year, female bear deaths would pass a 9 percent threshold that would trigger a similar review after two consecutive years.
The thresholds were last surpassed in 2000. The grizzly death counts aren't exact numbers.
When someone other than a wildlife manager reports a grizzly bear death, researchers count it as three toward the thresholds because roughly two-thirds of citizen-caused grizzly deaths go unreported, said study team leader and U.S. Geological Survey researcher Chuck Schwartz.
"We know that there are bears that die in the ecosystem that we don't hear about," he said.
Schwartz said the numbers were being released while large numbers of hunters head for the woods for the general hunting season, two to four weeks before grizzlies begin hibernation.
"We wanted to get the word out before a large number of hunters hit the field so we don't end up with a bunch more dead bears on the ground," he said. "We want to emphasize to the public that you have to be careful out there. We don't want to reconsider delisting the bear."
Researchers estimate that the Greater Yellowstone's grizzly population is higher than last year: 596 bears, up from 571. Schwartz and his team made the estimate based on 84 new cubs observed with 44 females.
Researchers estimate that the population continues to grow about 4 percent annually.
Louisa Willcox, a wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was shocked about this year's bear deaths so far.
"It's very, very disturbing and should give us all pause," she said.
JACKSON -- Biologists estimate that 39 grizzly bears have died in northwestern Wyoming this year.
Seventeen bears were shot by hunters and enough male grizzly bears have died to exceed a 15 percent mortality threshold for management review.
Under that provision, if the mortality rate for male grizzly bears exceeds 15 percent for three years in a row, state agencies would review their management policies for grizzly bears.
Such a review could result in putting grizzlies back on the Endangered Species List.
If another female grizzly is killed by a hunter this year, female bear deaths would pass a 9 percent threshold that would trigger a similar review after two consecutive years.
The thresholds were last surpassed in 2000. The grizzly death counts aren't exact numbers.
When someone other than a wildlife manager reports a grizzly bear death, researchers count it as three toward the thresholds because roughly two-thirds of citizen-caused grizzly deaths go unreported, said study team leader and U.S. Geological Survey researcher Chuck Schwartz.
"We know that there are bears that die in the ecosystem that we don't hear about," he said.
Schwartz said the numbers were being released while large numbers of hunters head for the woods for the general hunting season, two to four weeks before grizzlies begin hibernation.
"We wanted to get the word out before a large number of hunters hit the field so we don't end up with a bunch more dead bears on the ground," he said. "We want to emphasize to the public that you have to be careful out there. We don't want to reconsider delisting the bear."
Researchers estimate that the Greater Yellowstone's grizzly population is higher than last year: 596 bears, up from 571. Schwartz and his team made the estimate based on 84 new cubs observed with 44 females.
Researchers estimate that the population continues to grow about 4 percent annually.
Louisa Willcox, a wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was shocked about this year's bear deaths so far.
"It's very, very disturbing and should give us all pause," she said.
Fresh From the Casper Star Tribune.. This topic will continue to come up.
CHEYENNE -- In a move that sparked sharp criticism from environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday announced that it once again is proposing a plan that could end federal protections for gray wolves in Montana and Idaho while leaving them in place in Wyoming.
The federal agency's push comes after U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Montana last week signed an order reinstating federal protections for the wolves in all three states. Ruling in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of environmental groups, the judge this summer barred the Fish and Wildlife Service from turning wolf management over to the states.
Molloy ruled that Wyoming's management plan in particular wouldn't give wolves adequate protection. Wyoming has proposed that wolves be classified as predators that could be shot on sight in much of the state.
Friday's announcement by the Fish and Wildlife Service says the agency will take public comments until Nov. 28 on the same proposed wolf delisting rule the agency released early last year. The agency says there are now more than 1,400 wolves in the three states.
Bruce Salzburg, Wyoming attorney general, said Friday the FWS's proposed 2007 rule would allow removing federal protections for wolves only in Montana and Idaho. The rule would also allow lifting federal protections for wolves in Wyoming, but only if the federal agency ruled that Wyoming's management plan was adequate.
The FWS found Wyoming's management plan acceptable before the environmental groups mounted their legal challenge. But the agency won't comment now on whether it still believes Wyoming's plan is acceptable now that Molloy has ruled it is not.
Salzburg said he sees little doubt the federal agency is ready to leave Wyoming behind.
"I expect they will look to the judge's decision and determine that Wyoming's regulatory mechanisms are inadequate, and go forward with an attempt to delist in the other two states," Salzburg said.
Salzburg said Wyoming ultimately intends to address Molloy's concerns by modifying the state's wolf management plan and regulations. However, the Wyoming Legislature doesn't convene until January, so there's no way the state could adopt new regulations that the federal agency might find acceptable and have them considered in the federal government's current delisting proposal.
Jamie Rappaport Clark is executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups that sued over the wolf delisting. She's also a former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service under President Clinton. She said Friday her group is concerned about the agency's current approach.
"It's a hasty action that undermines the serious work and cooperation among all the stakeholders that's necessary before proposing any new rule," Clark said. "They just took the rule back. They're in essence rushing to ram this flawed rule through the current administration. And it's not giving the Fish and Wildlife Service time to address the serious concerns expressed earlier this year by the federal court in Missoula."
Salzburg, asked if it appears to him that the Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to resolve the issue before the end of the Bush administration, responded that he had no idea what's on the minds of agency officials.
Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Montana, said Friday that there are people in his agency who would like to see the wolf delisting process wrapped up by the end of the Bush administration. He said it's possible the agency will make a decision before then, but denied that desire is driving the agency to act quickly on the delisting process.
"This timing is set by the litigation and all that kind of stuff," Bangs said. "A lot of people are going to try to use this as a political deal."
Bangs said his agency hasn't decided whether Wyoming's management plan is inadequate, or if the state should be left behind in this round of the wolf delisting process.
"We're not putting any time line on it," he said. "The only thing I'm putting on it is we're going to take whatever time we need to do a good job and just use the best science."
Jenny Harbine is an attorney for Earthjustice, the law firm that represented the environmental coalition in challenging the delisting process.
"This is disappointing to say the least," Harbine said Friday. "We are very close to achieving a sustainable wolf population in the Northern Rockies. And we hope that the potential for a recovery success is not short-circuited by a premature delisting proposal."
Harbine said she has concerns about the legality and biological sufficiency of any plan that calls for delisting wolves in Montana and Idaho while leaving them under federal protection in Wyoming.
"The service has to treat this population as what it is, which is a single population of wolves," Harbine said. "Each recovery area is dependent on the others to maintain biological health. The legal reason is simply that the service is not permitted to treat portions of a population in isolation for the purpose of delisting. It cannot take a piecemeal approach to delisting."
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Drill, drill, DRILL!!!
Clark, Wyoming. Not too many people know of it, but could it have the potential to become the next Pinedale. If Windsor Energy Corporation has it's way, yes. From Missoula, Montana, Windsor is wanting to drill a new gas well near Clark, inside the National Forest boundary, on Line Creek. Line Creek, ok, that rings a bell. Yes, Line Creek, where, not too many years ago, another gas well leaked untold amounts of waste into the soil, causing damage that can only be speculated upon. October 14ththis story broke out, and thankfully, Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) and Powder River Basin Resource Council (PRBRC) jumped upon it. These two groups are willing to prepare comments on behalf of the community, but in a great act of limiting the voice of dissent, the commissioners decided that consultants will gather public input. Horse hockey! By using consultants, they will get the comments of the developers. With zombie-like fervor, they will chant, "Drill, Drill, DRILL!!!" The Clarks Fork District of the Shoshone Forest wants public comment. Do it! This is the only way to get our voices heard! Those who do nothing, have no right to bitch later on. Write the district, the head office, Senators, Congressmen, and the GYC and PRBRC. Let them know what is on our minds. Drilling is a battle cry. It is the new ship, buccaneers, the developers. Loot! Cash! Development. This firm is from Missoula. Most high level jobs will go to Montanans. Look at the jobs locals will get, or any other benefits. Most riggers are from Back East. Few locals will get a piece of their pie. Let's look at the aesthetic value as well, one that the developers have a hard time with. There is no monetary figure for it. I really enjoy the fact that I can drive into Clark, and be alone. Throw on hiking boots, take off, and I am alone. That is worth preserving in a day when more and more of us work tedious jobs, and value down time in wild places. Development will ruin that. I already know the argument. There will be only one well! Yes, but because of a thing called presidence with one well, it will be easier for more to come in. You are anti-progress! This is not progress, this is the exact opposite. We value Wyoming, and especially Cody, for aesthetic reasons. Looking north to the Beartooths from Cody, I can see blue sky. Keep it that way. Imagine what 200 trucks, rigs, and all the associated traffic would do. Now, ask yourself, could I live with myself if I did nothing? I know my answer. Do you know yours?
For more information about this project, contact Marty Sharp of the Forest Circus, at (307) 527-6921
For more information about this project, contact Marty Sharp of the Forest Circus, at (307) 527-6921
Of Wolves and Men
The public meeting in Cody last week seemed a good idea for coming together and putting ideas forth towards solutions. The points brought to attention were mostly those of Judge Molloy, and why he ruled against Wyoming. DNA exchange seems to be one of the big catch phrases in recent days, and seems to be the most focused point in Molloy's ruling. Rightly so. Wyoming is making an island of Yellowstone National Speedway. Unchecked, rampant growth and development to the south, and east, with Idaho and Montana to west and north, have limited routes of travel. A biotic island cannot survive, much humans could not survive on a deserted island with, say, one hundred of us all fighting for resources. The main point, to me, is the number of breeding pairs. Fifteen is the magic number for the good old state of Wyoming. They count on eight pairs in the park, seven outside. Well, what happens when the pack in Sunlight runs into the park for eight months, then comes out for ten days and is destroyed? One pack down in the park. We must stop thinking of the park as an island. THere is a reason the term Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was devised. What we do outside of the park has tremendous impact on what happens inside the park. It is not an island, ecologically perfect, inside it's borders. No, it depends on it's surrounding area. That is a good segue into the next issue, dual status. By some imaginary line, we will do licensed hunts, by this other imaginary line, shoot at will. Remind anyone of the DMZ in Vietnam? Long and short, predator status is an abomination. We should, following that theory, put predator status upon ourselves, the most destructive and efficient predators on this continent, homo sapien. Ranchers have a right to defend their private livestock on their private property. If grazing on government land, well, hell, that is a risk taken. Leave the national lands to the non domesticated ungulates and carnivores, take your four wheelers and native grass destroyers back to the home range. Long and short, the solution is simple. No one is happy with how things are going. Time to stop these ignorant fights. Time for the ranchers and environmentalists, the deep ecologist and the biologist, the greeny and the conservative, the naturalist and the preservationist to sit down in the same room, lock the door, and not come out until an amicable solution is found. Wolves need management, but the correct type of management, one based on the survival of this beautiful species, not on fear and hate and myth and legend.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
"Progress"
Well, folks, I think we can all agree. Many changes are ahappenin' in our fair part of the state. The great pull of Yellowstone to the Industrial Tourist is too much to bear. Everyone who has to deal with the tourists on a daily basis complains and whines about how traffic is backed up on Main Street, or how some ASS (Associated [by our area] Simply By Speed) is busy telling people wrong advice, usually in a loud voice full of exuberance and great self worth. Telling people how to get to Newton Lake, Shell Creek, the back side of Heart Mountain, but not how to appreciate these areas. People who, incidentally, are the ones with their carry-alls, bringing their speed boats, their stereo systems, never taking the time to slow down to appreciate things. Growth! Industry! Advancement! But, when do we say, "Whoa, this isn't the town I grew up in!" When do we realize that growth for the sake of growth has a name, one we are all familiar with. Cancer. Tumor. Malignant Melanoma. The time has come when our growth, our blind growth, has destroyed our very reason for living here. Ask a local why they enjoy this area. Most will agree wide, open spaces, less crowding, with secondary and tertiary responses being wildlife, and a deep family history. Four generations of my family were raised and born within 100 miles of Yellowstone National Speedway, and I think at least two of them are rolling in their graves over what it has become. Development! Do we not realize that in the process of rampant, unregulated, and uncontrolled development, we are losing our grasp as to what this area used to be for so many people? The North Fork Highway, no longer the "Most Scenic 50 miles in America" but the site of the Elk's Last Stand, the closing of a wildlife corridor, and the end of the way of an era in Wyoming and Cody. What do we value more, friends? Our wildlife, our land, our reasons for living here? Or the few dollars and jobs brought in by developing wide open hay meadows, diverting world class trout streams, and losing more and more access to our public lands. Where do YOU draw the line??
Seldom Seen
Seldom Seen
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