Wyoming people are lucky to call the Bridger-Teton National Forest our backyard. It is an exceptional forest that we and our friends and families appreciate for its scenery, recreation, trout streams and wildlife.

To celebrate the Bridger-Teton and to address the threat that oil and gas development poses to this beloved place, the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, The Wilderness Society and Greater Yellowstone Coalition recently hosted two community forums in the towns of Daniel and Jackson. The forums were designed to explain to community members which areas of the forest are currently threatened by new leasing and to identify areas that are temporarily off-limits to development, but which could be re-opened under the new forest plan.

Mike Judd, an outfitter from Alberta whose business and backyard—the Canadian Rockies—were hurt by oil and gas development, spoke at both forums. Mike shared with us the lessons he and his neighbors learned and suggested ideas for what we can do today to protect the lands we love. He cautioned that “oil and gas development will allow a few corporations to get rich,” but if this development occurs on sensitive forest lands, it will “leave our children impoverished.”

During the question and answer session at the end of the forum in Jackson, one local cited all other oil and gas development projects in the state and asked, “What makes the issues on the Bridger-Teton any different from these areas?”

The answer is twofold. First, many of the areas that have the potential for energy development in the Bridger-Teton are not yet leased. Leasing is the all-important stage after which it becomes difficult to halt future development. Through the forest plan revision process, the public has the ability to speak out and tell the Forest Service that certain lands on the Bridger-Teton are not suitable for oil and gas development. If an area is deemed “not suitable,” future leasing is not an option for the life of the forest plan.

Second, there is diverse and resounding support for protecting the Bridger-Teton as evidenced by the varied constituencies that have opposed new leasing in the southern part of the forest. Groups like the AFL-CIO representing labor unions; residents of the communities of Rock Springs, Green River, Big Piney and Pinedale (many of whom work in the gas fields but recreate in the forest on their weekends); homeowners in Merna, Daniel and Bondurant; as well as outfitters, hunters, anglers, ranch owners and conservationists have all protested recent lease sales in the Wyoming Range. In addition, elected officials including Senator Thomas and Governor Freudenthal have voiced strong opposition to new leasing and any new oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range and other parts of the Bridger-Teton.

Given the booming oil and gas development occurring on surrounding BLM lands in the Upper Green River Valley, Wyoming residents are drawing the line at the forest boundary. “Enough is enough,” was the sentiment the public repeated during both forums. The Bridger-Teton National Forest is one of the last best places. With continued participation from an active and engaged public, we are working to keep it that way.

After losing his livelihood to rampant oil and gas development along the eastern front of the Canadian Rockies, Alberta outfitter Mike Judd hit the road to tell his story and help others avoid the tragedy that befell his homeland. Early this summer, he shared his cautionary tale with Wyoming audiences in Daniel and Jackson.