Star-Tribune Editorial Board

The Bureau of Land Management administers about 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Of that total, 17.5 million acres are already available for oil and gas development.

Most reasonable people recognize that, while Wyoming is an important source of oil and gas for the nation, there are areas of the state that deserve special protection. One of these is the Jack Morrow Hills area of the Red Desert, home of the Boar's Tusk, Steamboat Mountain and the Killpecker Sand Dunes.

The Jack Morrow Hills offer a biological, cultural and aesthetic treasure found nowhere else. A rare desert elk herd, sage grouse leks, ancient Indian trails and a cold desert ecosystem are but a few of the things that make it unique.

Since the BLM completed its final environmental impact statement for the Jack Morrow Hills management plan two years ago, the agency has received more than 1,000 protest letters urging more protection for the area.

That's a significant indication the public is unhappy with the proposal to open up nearly half of the 622,000-acre area to full-scale development. Most people don't take the time to register their objections to a final environmental impact statement unless they really think their comments can influence a decision.

Before that, the BLM received about 80,000 comments from the public during the planning phase. While it is impossible to know how many of these were made by individuals and how many were generated through mass appeals from organizations, the vast majority supported stronger protection for Jack Morrow Hills.

But the BLM's record of decision issued last week was essentially the same plan it advocated in 2004: It approved drilling 205 gas wells and 50 coal-bed methane wells. Because it does not set a cap on the number of wells, there could be hundreds more operating in the future.

One wonders how much outpouring of public opposition would have been necessary for the BLM to alter its plan. Two thousand protest letters? Ten thousand? Any amount? A BLM official said the letters the agency received offered no new information and did not point out any "significant errors" made in the final environmental impact statement.

Existing suspended leases will run for the remainder of their term -- for a maximum of eight years -- plus a three-year bonus "suspension release" period. That means drilling won't be finished, even in protected areas, for up to 11 years.

Crucial big game habitats will, for the most part, remain open to strip mining. Areas withdrawn from surface mining, meanwhile, can be put back into production for oil shale.

The management plan opens all but 1,300 acres of the entire area to seismic exploration and the use of "thumper trucks."

Fortunately, some conservation measures were approved. The Steamboat Mountain "area of critical and environmental concern" will be expanded by nearly 4,000 acres to encompass the Indian Gap historic trail. The road encircling Boar's Tusk will be closed, and the West Sand Dune Archaeological District will be established as a special management area.

There will undoubtedly be some appeals of the BLM's decision in the next month, and it's possible some additional conservation measures could be established.

But it's disappointing to learn that, after many years of scientific study and planning, the BLM chose to carve up one of the state's most beautiful and sensitive areas. There is no shortage of public land where development already can take place.