September 2006, Newsletter #14 Welcome to THE RED LODGE CLEARINGHOUSE, the full-service information source for collaborative groups throughout the Interior west committed to resolving resource-use conflicts. The sheer cliffs of the Roan Plateau tower 3,500 feet above the Colorado River in western Colorado between the towns of Parachute and Rifle. The pace of resource development in the area has quickened and the BLM has recently issued a draft resource management plan for the Roan which has thus far been met with broad displeasure — not necessarily indicating a balanced approach. Vice President Dick Cheney has specifically cited the Roan for fast-track development whereas a vocal constituency advocates against any development atop the plateau. We've chosen to focus on two major ongoing stories from the field, the Roan Plateau and the ongoing saga of oil and gas development on the Upper Green River in Wyoming — the Pinedale story. Both stories are putting the BLM to the test and both stories focus on public participation. VISIT OUR HOME PAGE >> Roan Plateau opened to natural gas drilling BY TODD HARTMAN AND ELLEN MILLER, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 09/08/06 Federal land managers opened the door to drilling in one of Colorado's richest natural gas reserves Thursday, unveiling a compromise proposal that endeavors to reap the mineral riches under the Western Slope's Roan Plateau while protecting its wildlife and environment. SEE FULL STORY >> Drillers decry Roan rules BY JOANNE KELLEY, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 09/08/06 A long-awaited federal decision that would open the Roan Plateau to natural gas drilling includes compromises that make the land "much less economically attractive," an industry group said Thursday. SEE FULL STORY >> Sportsmen offer initial reaction to proposed Roan Plateau plan THEODORE ROOSEVELT CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP, 09/08/06 The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today offered a mixed reaction to elements of the Bureau of Land Management’s Proposed Management Plan for Colorado’s Roan Plateau. The coalition of hunting, fishing and conservation organizations welcomed the concepts of clustered and phased development, unitization, and the setting aside of approximately half of the region for “no surface disturbance.” But it cautioned that the plan is based on maximum recovery of mineral resources, which includes making 100 percent of the planning area available for leasing. This may be a red flag for future problems once development begins. SEE FULL STORY >> Wild alliances — Development boom brings together sportsmen, environmentalists BY JUDITH KOHLER, THE MISSOULIAN (AP), 08/27/06 RIFLE, Colo. — Outdoors guide Keith Goddard remembers when he could go for hours or even days and not see another person on top of western Colorado's Roan Plateau. "Up until a few years ago, you could stand right here all day long, and if you'd seen one or two vehicles, you'd seen a bunch." SEE FULL STORY >> Unhappy hunting grounds BY BOBBY MAGILL, GRAND JUNCTION DAILY SENTINEL, 08/20/06 The fight to protect the Roan Plateau and Colorado’s roadless areas from energy development has strayed beyond the realm of environmentalists and traditional wilderness advocates. The “hook and bullet” crowd — hunters, anglers, outfitters and other sportsmen — are now claiming wildland protection as their territory, a development that’s being noticed by the energy industry and politicians all over Colorado and the West. SEE FULL STORY >> Unlikely environmentalists CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE, 08/21/06 Gary Amerine doesn’t look like an environmentalist. He doesn’t wear Birkenstocks, tie-dye shirts or a peace sign tied around his neck with a length of hemp rope. He looks and talks more like a rancher, with a cowboy hat and a weathered face. SEE FULL STORY >> Sporting Conservation Council — Finding balance BY PERRY BACKUS, THE MISSOULIAN, 08/18/06 Leaders from a dozen conservation groups spent a pair of days at the headquarters of the Boone and Crockett Club debating the future of the newly formed Sporting Conservation Council — a group that will offer advice to federal wildlife and land managers. SEE FULL STORY >> Lynn Scarlett to address restoration conference September 25-27, 2006, in Missoula, Montana The 30th annual University of Montana Public Land Law Conference will feature keynote speaker Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Interior and will focus on law surrounding ecosystem restoration. READ MORE >> Foresters reflect on difficulties of restoration forestry BY GORDY SANDERS AND LOREN ROSE, PYRAMID MOUNTAIN LUMBER, INC. "Restore" means to bring back to a former or original condition. Contrary to what its name suggests, Restoration Forestry is aimed at achieving a future condition, rather than returning forested landscapes to their former condition. The practices of Restoration Forestry are integral to achieving the sustained production of goods and services from forested lands that our nation demands, including clean air and water, fish and wildlife habitat that will support abundant diversity, and unlimited opportunities for year-round recreation. READ MORE >> Meanwhile, officials from Department of the Interior (along with Commerce, Agriculture, EPA, and CEQ) continue the cooperative conservation listening tour, with little new to report. And Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, tours western drilling fields. Cooperative conservation listening sessions continue Upcoming western sessions will be held in: Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 15, 2006 Pinedale, Wyoming, September 19, 2006 Colton, California, September 28, 2006 READ MORE >> "FEDS GATHER INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES DURING MISSOURI STOP" >> "KEMPTHORNE CONDUCTS LISTENING SESSION IN FAIRBANKS" >> Kempthorne declares NPR-A drilling safe GREENWIRE, 08/30/06 Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, touring Alaska's North Slope yesterday in a helicopter, announced that oil and gas drilling is safe and will proceed in sections of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. SEE FULL STORY >> Kempthorne seeks land legacy for Bush BY ROCKY BARKER, IDAHO STATESMAN, 08/28/06 Drilling managers led Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on a tour of Wyoming's Anticline gas fields to show how they are reducing truck traffic and wildlife habitat destruction in one of the West's largest energy projects. SEE FULL STORY >> Department unveils 5th 'C' — "Community" BY DAN BERMAN, GREENWIRE, 08/22/06 The "Four C's," former Interior Secretary Gale Norton's famed slogan for promoting cooperative conservation, is adding a fifth "C" to the group. SEE FULL STORY >> DOWNLOAD THE DOI DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN >> HOME PAGE  |   CONTACT US