Responding to an announcement by the BLM Pinedale Field Office that big game winter ranges would be closed to motorized use by the public, but remain open to oil industry traffic, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance called upon the agency to close winter ranges to all types of motor vehicles, including oil and gas industry vehicles that make up the vast majority of winter traffic.
"Even though the public has been subjected to winter closures for years, mule deer populations continue to decline in the Pinedale area and have been pushed off of key winter ranges, so the strategy obviously isn't working," said Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "Mule deer and pronghorns are sensitive to disturbance by vehicles, period. Whether or not a truck has an oil and gas industry decal on its door makes no difference to big game, so if the BLM really wants to protect winter ranges from disturbance, they should close them to all vehicle traffic."
There is some precedent for closing oil and gas operations off seasonally to vehicle traffic to protect sensitive wildlife habitats. In 2004, the Bill Barrett Corporation reached a settlement with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance covering its 232-well Big Porcupine Coalbed Methane Project in the Thunder basin National Grassland, in which the company agreed to close roads within 2 miles of sage grouse leks and ferruginous hawk nests to industry traffic, accessing the CBM facilities only in emergency situations by bicycle. The BLM is proposing to seasonally close important wildlife ranges to all traffic, including the oil and gas industry, in its Lander Resource Management Plan.
"Even though the public has been subjected to winter closures for years, mule deer populations continue to decline in the Pinedale area and have been pushed off of key winter ranges, so the strategy obviously isn't working," said Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "Mule deer and pronghorns are sensitive to disturbance by vehicles, period. Whether or not a truck has an oil and gas industry decal on its door makes no difference to big game, so if the BLM really wants to protect winter ranges from disturbance, they should close them to all vehicle traffic."
There is some precedent for closing oil and gas operations off seasonally to vehicle traffic to protect sensitive wildlife habitats. In 2004, the Bill Barrett Corporation reached a settlement with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance covering its 232-well Big Porcupine Coalbed Methane Project in the Thunder basin National Grassland, in which the company agreed to close roads within 2 miles of sage grouse leks and ferruginous hawk nests to industry traffic, accessing the CBM facilities only in emergency situations by bicycle. The BLM is proposing to seasonally close important wildlife ranges to all traffic, including the oil and gas industry, in its Lander Resource Management Plan.
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