LARAMIE – A judge recently removed a Stay on the Cherokee West Seismic Project, clearing the way for off-road thumper truck traffic in sensitive proposed wilderness lands in Adobe Town and the Powder Rim. The Stay was lifted after the exploration company, Veritas DGC, committed to a complete survey of fossil resources before the onset of the project.

This survey was needed to prevent damage to fossil resources in the Adobe Town area, which is internationally known for its fossils of Eocene mammals such as the uintathere (similar to a rhinoceros) and taeniodont (a giant relative of the sloth). While the measures committed to by Veritas should resolve the paleontological issues, the judge’s ruling left unresolved the unnecessary impacts that driving 32-ton thumper-trucks four abreast across fragile desert landscapes are likely to have on potential wilderness in Adobe Town.

“We’re very disappointed that Veritas was unwilling to agree to a settlement that would have permitted the project to move forward with shot-hole methods, which would have yielded the same seismic data with much less impact on wilderness qualities,” said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “We’ll be examining all the legal options to get a better solution to the problems posed by this project.”

The project may commence as early as late June. Biodiversity Conservation Alliance was joined in the legal challenge by Wyoming Wilderness Association, Center for Native Ecosystems, The Wilderness Society, and Colorado Environmental Coalition.

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