ConservationNEXT

Wyoming Outdoor Council

Website
http://www.wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
Contact Name
Chris Merrill
Contact Email
chris@antispamwyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
Location
Lander, WY
 
 
 
 
 
 Established in 1967, the Wyoming Outdoor Council is the state's oldest independent conservation organization. Our mission is to protect Wyoming's environment and quality of life for future generations.

Project Update

Surprise announcement on Wyoming Range wins praise
Cancellation of more than half of contested leases

LANDER — Conservationists, sportsmen, Wyoming residents and elected officials are applauding this weekend’s unexpected announcement that more than half of the contested oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range have been rescinded.

During a rain-soaked celebration at a hunting camp in far western Wyoming this Sunday, the federal Bureau of Land Management announced it is rescinding nearly 24,000 acres of contested oil and gas leases on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Wyoming Range.

More than 100 people were in attendance to celebrate this year’s successful passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which precludes industrial development on most of the Wyoming Range. Those in attendance included Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, several federal officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, and representatives of sportsmen’s groups, labor unions and conservationists.

BLM State Director Don Simpson told the crowd that his agency has also sent a letter to the leaseholders of the remaining 21,000 acres of contested leases, asking them to consider voluntarily retiring their parcels. These leases could be canceled following a new environmental review.  

“This is a huge deal,” said Lisa McGee with the Wyoming Outdoor Council. “This is a really positive step toward accomplishing what we all want to accomplish, which is the cancellation of all of the remaining leases.”

McGee and others have long argued that none of the contested oil and gas leases should have been issued in the first place.

Those who attended the celebration on Sunday were representative of the broad grassroots effort behind passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, McGee said. That effort brought together — in unprecedented fashion — ranchers, sportsmen, politicians, outfitters, concerned citizens, local residents and environmentalists.

“There were more boots than sandals at the celebration,” she said. “It was a truly a diverse constituency.”

Freudenthal indicated that he sees the announcement as a step in the right direction, as well.

“Today, five years later, the 45,000 acres has been cut to 21,000 acres and we’re still hoping to get to zero,” Freudenthal said in a media release on Sunday. “This is a great day for the Wyoming Range and for the hunters, anglers, hikers and many others who came together in their commitment to set this special place aside so our kids and grandkids can enjoy it long after we are all gone.”