LARAMIE – The BLM’s April oil and gas lease sale will include a heavy concentration of parcels within the McCullough Peaks and Red Buttes areas of the Bighorn Basin. Conservationists submitted a protest of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed April sale of oil and gas lease parcels to protect these potential wildernesses.  The quarterly sale of leases for oil and gas development on public lands will include parcels in these two areas, formally proposed by citizens for wilderness designation. 

At grave risk are the McCullough Peaks and the Red Butte citizens' proposed wilderness areas, which would face the threat of drilling and industrialization unless the BLM withdraws these areas from the upcoming lease sale.  “These desert landscapes have a fragile beauty that is easily destroyed by industrial development, and due to the arid nature of the country, it could take generations to recover,” remarked Erik Molvar, a Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.

“There are lease stipulations the BLM could require, such as No Surface Occupancy provisions, that would allow the oil and gas to be extracted without ever touching the potential wilderness,” added Suzanne Lewis, Conservation Advocate for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance in Laramie.  “We need to strike a balance between extracting the mineral resources and preserving our state’s natural heritage for our children, and that balance needs to include protecting the most spectacular landscapes and prime recreation areas for public use.”

Oil and gas development on these undeveloped landscapes would permanently destroy their exceptional qualities for backcountry recreation.  Currently these proposed wilderness areas provide outstanding opportunities for primitive recreation and are sought out for their remoteness and solitude.  “Drilling multiple oil and gas would not only wreck the solitude of these remote areas, but would leave manmade scars on the landscape for centuries, potentially preventing them from being designated as wilderness areas by Congress,” Lewis stated.

The lease sale parcels within the McCullough Peaks CWP would cover approximately 19 square miles.  “The McCullough Peaks boast a spectacular maze of buttes, canyons, and badlands,” said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist for BCA and author of numerous roadless and wilderness guide books.  “The volcanic ash which comprises these areas has been carved into a colorful tapestry by wind and water, giving the area an other-worldly appearance.” 

The McCullough Peaks area is also important for paleontological study, containing fossils of mammals, reptiles and birds.  This area has been ranked as one of the ten most endangered wild areas in Wyoming, and has been the site of recent controversy over off-road vehicle use.

Also targeted for leasing are potential wilderness lands in the Red Butte area. A tall and eroded summit that rises from the grassy highlands at the head of Fifteen Mile Creek, Red Butte is a landmark that rises from the sagebrush desert of the Bighorn Basin.  “This type of landscape is not currently represented in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and this makes it imperative that the Red Butte citizens’ proposed wilderness be preserved intact,” said Lewis.  “To allow oil and gas drilling in the Red Butte potential wilderness would be irresponsible and flies in the face of the BLM’s duty to be a steward of public lands for future generations to enjoy.”

In addition to impacts to the land, there could be significant disturbance to wildlife and wildlife habitat, according to Molvar.  Herds of mule deer and pronghorn antelope, mountain lions, swift fox, wild horses, and raptors roam the McCullough Peaks, while Red Butte supports smaller mule deer and pronghorn herds, mountain lions, bobcats, burrowing owls, golden eagles, sage grouse, and sharp-tailed grouse. 

“Impacts of leasing and the drilling that follows not only include the disturbance from vehicle traffic, noise, air pollution, and bulldozing of the land, but also the fragmentation of wildlife habitat which occurs from road building,” Molvar observed.  “As the land is carved up into smaller and smaller pieces, wildlife populations become isolated and eventually disappear.”

The lease protest complements protests of extensive leasing in the Wyoming Range, long a priority for conservation protections.  Joining BCA on the protest were Wyoming Wilderness Association, Center for Native Ecosystems, and the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Suzanne Lewis, Conservation Advocate, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, (307) 742-7978
Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, (307) 742-7978