Director's Message

When I'm asked what environmental issues WOC addresses, I take a deep breath and list them: wildlife habitat, wildlands protection, air and water quality, environmental justice, oil and gas development, timber sales, livestock grazing...and on and on. As this issue of Frontline reflects, the scope of our work is as expansive as Wyoming's varied landscapes and big skies.

The Bureau of Land Management has just released its environmental impact statement for the largest natural gas project ever proposed in the United States: the development of more than 50,000 coalbed methane wells in the Powder River Basin. WOC and the Powder River Basin Resource Council have assembled a team of outside experts to review the EIS and make recommendations to mitigate the adverse effects of this massive project. WOC attorney Tom Darin provides his assessment of the EIS and outlines WOC's response on page 8.

Although our detractors sometimes accuse WOC of appealing to emotions, in fact our stance on issues is guided largely by science. On page 9, staff ecologist Jerry Freilich explores the ecological impacts of coalbed methane development in the Powder River Basin. While much attention has been focused on the damaging effects of CBM development on ranching and crops, Dr. Freilich advocates a more comprehensive examination of impacts on the basin's fragile prairie streams and native species.

According to a report issued in November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) is ill-equipped to address the onslaught of coalbed methane development in our state. The EPA report was triggered by a formal petition submitted by WOC asking the agency to bring Wyoming's program into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. On page 14, WOC's watershed program attorney Steve Jones describes the EPA's key findings and the WDEQ's reaction.

Because of its national importance, rich biodiversity and unique natural features, WOC pays close attention to the northwestern portion of our state known as Greater Yellowstone. On page 13, WOC's Greater Yellowstone program coordinator Kelly Matheson provides a brief overview of our work to protect public lands in this 18 million-acre region from environmentally destructive oil and gas development and timber sales.

Our campaign to prevent wholesale industrialization of the Red Desert is in full swing - again! The BLM plans to release its supplemental draft plan for public comment later this spring. In spite of former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's directive that the Wyoming BLM prepare a supplemental draft plan that includes a "conservation alternative" as the agency's preferred action, current Secretary Gale Norton has given the BLM new direction, indicating her preference for alternatives that favor oil and gas development. Outreach coordinator Mac Blewer's article on page 12 brings us up to speed on the planning effort.

Supplemental feeding and human developments in the upper Green River valley have significantly altered natural migrations of elk, deer and pronghorn. In our lead story, WOC's Greater Yellowstone field office director Meredith Taylor details the problem and describes our response, dubbed "Restoring Wild Patterns," which endeavors to find solutions that will restore and protect our state's historic wildlife migration corridors and ensure the long-term viability of our wildlife heritage.

On pages 6-7, Michele Barlow previews four bills with environmental implications that will be debated during the Wyoming State Legislature's upcoming session. Michele and I will travel to Cheyenne for the session and share lobbying responsibilities. I encourage you to visit our website often to learn the latest news from Cheyenne.

Finally, we are sad to report the death of dedicated conservationist Emily Stevens, a former WOC board member and generous supporter of many conservation groups in Wyoming and elsewhere in the country. Frontline editor Nancy Debevoise pays tribute to Emily on page 3.

As 2002 begins, I want to extend our most sincere thanks to all members who participated in our fall donor drive. Despite the September 11 tragedy and a sliding stock market, your response was terrific, leaving us in a solid financial position going into the new year.