VICTORY: STATE PROTECTS ADOBE TOWN
YOUR VOICE WAS HEARD!

By a 5 to 1 vote, the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council (EQC) voted today to protect 180,000 acres in Adobe Town south of Rawlins and Rock Springs by designating the area as 'Very Rare or Uncommon.' In addition to the currently protected Wilderness Study Area, this designation expands protections to include the Haystacks, Willow Creek Rim and Badlands, the Flats at the Base of Skull Creek Rim and a portion of Powder Rim.

BCA submitted the petition, with the support of 7 other conservation groups, to protect approximately 180,000 acres in Wyoming's largest desert wilderness. The lands petitioned include a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wilderness Study Area plus adjacent unprotected lands that remain undeveloped. Thanks to testimony from hundreds of concerned citizens, both by letter and in person, including a number of experts in different scientific fields, the EQC recognized the whole area in their protective designation!

Council Chairman Richard Moore best summed up how special and unique Adobe Town is and the need for protection when he commented, "It’s a real diamond among all the gems in Wyoming."

The 'Very Rare or Uncommon' designation will protect the area from oil shale mining and uranium mining, both of which are looming threats in the southern Red Desert, and is part of a broader effort to protect all of Adobe Town from heavy industry. Although this designation does not affect oil and gas development, it sends a strong message that Adobe Town should be prioritized for conservation and public enjoyment, not industrial use. The Council's decision should help convince the BLM to do its part to prevent future oil and gas leasing there, which would have to occur through the federal land management process.

Pat yourself on the back for your support of BCA, and your testimony to the EQC!

If you'd like to thank members of the Council for making the right decision, please write them at: Environmental Quality Council, 122 West 25th St., Herschler Bldg., Cheyenne, WY 82002.

For more information on the special qualities that make Adobe Town such a gem, please see: http://www.voiceforthewild.org/greatdivide/adobetown_op.html.