Wildlife threatened by gas exploration

October 17, 2012

Dear Editor:

As part of our mission statement to promote conservation, the Roaring Fork Audubon Society has an incredible opportunity to help preserve vital habitat for birds and mammals, and as a recreation area for people to enjoy – the Thompson Divide. This is not political! This is fighting for our community, our water, our backyard recreation, and our animals – and especially our native birds, whose numbers are decreasing by frightening amounts, partially due to loss of good habitat.

The Thompson Divide has always been one of our favorite areas for taking beginning birders on field trips because of the abundance of birds – migrant and year-round – that are able to breed in the undisturbed areas of pinion, juniper, and sage.

This peaceful backyard of ours is under immediate threat from gas development. This could happen very soon! The gas claims are already being staked. There are more than 221,550 acres of federal land – in Pitkin County, (88,100), Gunnison County (51,000 ), Garfield County (43,500), Mesa County (30,500), and Delta County (7,700). There are currently 81 leases in the area covering approximately 105,000 acres. Half of the leases are in roadless areas and do not contain surface stipulations.

There is no doubt that fracking will pollute the water supply for Carbondale, and the development infrastructure will impact the already busy Highway 133. (Do we really want big oil trucks rumbling down our roads?) Garfield County ambient air studies done near natural gas development activities show several hazardous air pollutants and conclude that residents living close to this exposure “will most likely be affected.” The amount of oil in these leases does not justify the destruction to our town.

The Thompson Divide Coalition (savethompsondivide.org) is seeking federal legislation to permanently withdraw the area from availability for future leasing, and is working with current leaseholders to buy out their leases. Please help them.