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Air quality modeling may not be required for Wyoming Range drilling (posted 11/20/08)
Article in the Jackson Hole Daily
An article by Cory Hatch of the Jackson Hole Daily News reports that there is an unconfirmed agreement between the US Department of Agriculture and EPA which could eliminate the requirement for modeling air quality impacts from proposals to drill for natural gas in the Wyoming Range and across the country. The agreement to eliminate air quality modeling would streamline the approval process for projects, including plans to drill on 44,700 acres in the Wyoming Range. A representative of an environmental group suggests this may be an attempt to push through oil and gas leases before the current administration leaves office in January. The article states the source of the news of this unconfirmed agreement is the governor’s office.

Click on this link to read the entire article: Governor’s office blasts air-quality agreement By Cory Hatch (Jackson Hole Daily, www.jhnewsandguide.com, November 20, 2008)

WG&F changes wolf plan (posted 11/20/08)
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
Although Cora rancher Dave Noble cautioned the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission not to be in such a hurry to change the status of wolves in Wyoming, the commission disagreed. In a unanimous vote at a Jackson meeting Tuesday, the commission voted to revise its statewide wolf management plan in hopes of working toward delisting wolves.

Noble explained his position to the commission: "I don’t hate wolves – they’re an awesome animal. I just can’t afford to feed them."

Noting that if Wyoming’s wolves are delisted, and then experience a population crash leading to relisting, the wolves will be relisted under full federal protection, rather than the current nonessential experimental population status.

"This is still an experiment in my opinion," he said. "Perhaps we shouldn’t leap too quickly to get wolves delisted."

State wildlife officials explained that in response to a request for public comment on the wolf plan revision proposal, the agency received hundreds of letters, with the majority of comments supporting increasing the number of wolves in the state, and many suggesting wolves be reclassified as a trophy game animal statewide.

WG&F also received a letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggesting that revising the wolf plan was premature at this time, since the Wyoming Legislature should be given the opportunity to correct any legal deficiencies in Wyoming wolf management policies. The letter also suggested that the proposed revisions would not be adequate to assure delisting.

These concerns were noted by the commissioners, but each commissioner voiced insistency that it needed to take action anyway.

Commissioner Clark Allan noted that the commission’s action had little to do with wolf management, and everything to do with preparing for further litigation on the issue.

"It’s not about managing wildlife, it’s about preparing for a legal battle," he said. "The legal system is the worst way to manage wildlife."

Commission Chair Jerry Galles said, "We have to move this forward," and the commission then voted unanimously to adopt the plan revisions.

Related Links:
Wolf Watch - By Cat Urbigkit

Wyoming's trophy game conflicts 2008 (posted 11/20/08)
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
Mark Bruscino of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported on trophy game animal/human conflicts in Wyoming in 2008.

Number of conflicts by species:
Wolf - 55
Black bear - 125
Grizzly bear - 169
Mountain lion - 16
These conflicts involve property damage, livestock killed, or the killing of trophy game animals.

The grizzly bear conflicts involved:
76 property damage
11 food rewards
2 human injuries
68 livestock depredations; and
15 non-agency deaths (poached, ran over, killed in self defense, mistaken identify deaths).

Wyoming Game and Fish South Pinedale Game Warden, Brian Nesvik, holds the head of a trophy class mule deer buck that was poached out of season near Big Sandy in November, 2007. Due to a tip from an alert citizen, Wyoming Game & Fish officials were able to catch the culprits. Two men from Utah were convicted of the poaching. Photo courtesy WGFD.

Sublette Mule Deer poachers sentenced (posted 11/19/08)
Utah men convicted of illegal shooting of a trophy class mule deer buck out of season
Wyoming Game & Fish
Sublette Mule Deer poachers sentenced
Utah men convicted of illegal shooting of a trophy class mule deer buck out of season
Wyoming Game & Fish
11/19/08 deerpoachers

(Pinedale) – Jeremy S. Zumwalt and Gregory L. Carter, both from the Salt Lake City, Utah area, were recently convicted in Sublette County Circuit Court for multiple violations associated with the illegal shooting of a trophy class mule deer buck out of season. Zumwalt was also convicted of interference with a peace officer and reckless driving associated the poaching incident that took place Nov. 16, 2007, near Big Sandy, south of Pinedale. Carter was convicted of taking big game from a vehicle, waste and abandonment and trespassing, in addition to taking an antlered deer during a closed season.

Carter and Zumwalt were traveling from Lander to Pinedale, where they were working as sub-contractors at the time, when they came across the large buck. The pair shot it, covered it up and left the area. Wyoming Game and Fish Department Game Warden John Hyde, while patrolling the area on the department's Winter Range Task Force, was contacted by a person working in the area who observed what he thought was a dead buckdeer just off the county road. The concerned citizen also had observed a Utah pickup stopped on the county road earlier in the morning, which proved to be key evidence helping lead to the poachers’ convictions.

Warden Hyde began surveillance on the deer suspecting the poachers may return to the area. Just after 5 p.m., Zumwalt and Carter returned to retrieve the deer. Warden Hyde watched as Carter exited the vehicle and walked toward the deer as Zumwalt began to drive away. As Hyde continued observation, South Pinedale Game Warden Brian Nesvik responded to the scene for assistance.

As Carter walked away, Hyde attempted to stop Zumwalt in his vehicle. Zumwalt began to pull off the road, but then took off, fleeing the scene. Hyde began pursuing the vehicle with Nesvik close behind. The chase ended when Zumwalt rolled the pickup several times. Zumwalt and another uninvolved passenger had only minor scrapes and bruises from the
wreck.

As the wardens began investigating the scene and summoning appropriate medical assistance and help from the Sublette County Sheriff's Office, Carter remained at large on foot. Zumwalt confessed to what had happened to both officers and provided a cell phone number for Carter.

Nesvik contacted Carter via text message, telling him his truck had been rolled and to walk out to the county road. A short time later, Hyde picked up Carter. Carter confessed his actions to both officers. Both men were arrested and booked into the Sublette County Jail.

Sublette County Circuit Court Judge Curt Haws assessed a substantial sentence on both men. Carter was fined total $5,400 ($9,400 with $4,000 suspended), assessed $2,000 restitution, 100 hours community service and lost his hunting and fishing privileges for 10 years. A sentence of two years jail time was suspended in favor of two years probation.

Zumwalt was fined $2,000 ($6,750 with $4,750 suspended), $2,000 in restitution, 100 hours community service and lost his hunting and fishing privileges for 10 years. Similarly, a sentence of two years jail time was suspended in favor of two years probation.

This case is a good reminder of the potential consequences of stealing one of Wyoming's big bucks. This case also illustrates the importance of concerned citizens notifying the Game and Fish when they observe suspicious or illegal activity. "We really appreciate the individual coming forward with the information," said Nesvik. "We do not take these reports lightly and in this case it led to an important conviction."

This case also highlights the Game and Fish's commitment to protecting the tremendous mule deer resource in the Pinedale area. Each year during the peak migration and breeding season in late fall, the Game and Fish allocates resources from all over the state to help monitor the winter ranges. This task force has netted the arrest and conviction of five deer poachers just in the last few years.

"Obviously, we end our hunting seasons when we do to protect these animals during the winter months when they are more vulnerable," said Nesvik. "After years of trying to bring our mule deer numbers back up, any loss is disturbing, but especially when it’s a blatant illegal shooting like this."

Thousands of mule deer from the Sublette and Wyoming Range deer herds spend their winters in the Pinedale-Big Piney-LaBarge area. These animals are very vulnerable this time of year, not just to poachers, but also to vehicle collisions and harassment by winter recreationists, including antler hunters, photographers and wildlife viewers.

In recent years, Game and Fish enforcement personnel have focused more attention on these mule deer winter ranges, but they still need help. "Obviously, we do not have the personnel to be everywhere all the time, so we rely on reports from people who are out there," says Nesvik. "Whether you’re a hunter or just a wildlife enthusiast, people should be outraged about the illegal shooting of these animals."

People should look for the following poacher profiles:
• Out-of-state vehicles with evidence of travel in the countryside – often sport utility vehicles or pickups with toppers. Violators frequently stay in motels.
• Presence of camping, hunting or outdoor equipment.
• Firearms, spotlights, scanners or night vision equipment.
• Folks claiming to be in the area to hunt coyotes or photograph deer.
• Vehicles traveling in rural areas during the early morning, evening or late at night.
• Small amounts of blood or hair – poached wildlife typically are not readily visible.

To report information on a poaching incident or other suspicious vehicles or activities, call the Pinedale Game and Fish office at (800) 452-9107 or the STOP POACHING hotline at (877) WGFD-TIP (877-943-3847) or your local game warden. Any information leading to the arrest and conviction may result in a reward of up to $5,000.

Photo by Wyoming Game & Fish.

Click here for more pictures: Mule Deer Poachers Sentenced (2 photos)

Lynx

Lynx prowl Wyoming Range (posted 11/19/08)
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
The eastern front of the Wyoming Range Mountains in Sublette County remains a stronghold for the threatened Canada Lynx, according to a researcher tracking the species.

Nate Berg of the Endeavor Wildlife Research Foundation gave a presentation on his Greater Yellowstone Lynx Study to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission at its meeting in Jackson on Tuesday.

The snowshoe hare population in the Wyoming Range is dense, providing an abundance of the lynx’s primary prey species, Berg said.

Berg noted that research efforts from 2004-2007 revealed 80 sets of lynx tracks in the region, which were then analyzed and a determination made as to origin. The tracks were left by five identified lynx, and two unidentified lynx, Berg said.

Research has also revealed that of the 218 lynx reintroduced into southwestern Colorado from 1999 through 2006, numerous lynx left that state and traveled
to western Wyoming.

"The Wyoming Range is key for lynx in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," Berg said.

Photo by Cat Urbigkit

CO2 Sequestration project in Wyoming (posted 11/19/08)
DOE awards $66.9 million for test project
Wyoming Business Report posted an article on Tuesday, November 18, saying the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $66.9 million to the Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership for a large-scale project in the Wyoming Range of western Wyoming, west of near LaBarge. The project hopes to demonstrate the ability of the Nugget Sandstone formation at the Riley ridge Unit on the LaBarge Platform to safely, permanently and economically store more than two million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 will be supplied as a byproduct of the new Cimarex Energy helium and natural gas processing plant. The total project will cost $130.6 million, including the partnership’s cost share. The DOE grant is one of seven awards as part of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program.

Click on this link for the entire article: Wyo named as next large-scale CO2 storage site (Wyoming Business Report, 11/18/08)

Related Links:
Cimarex Energy proposes helium/methane project near Big Piney (Pinedale Online, 11/9/08)

Cimarex Energy
Carbon Sequestration Department of Energy
Uses and Properties of CO2 Universal Industrial Gases, Inc

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal opened the forum, which included State Engineer Pat Tyrrell, State Geologist Ron Surdam, State Climatologist Steve Gray, and other experts on water issues.

Water Management Challenges in the Upper Green (posted 11/17/08)
WWDC looking for water storage opportunities
A two-day forum, held last Friday and Saturday at Rendezvous Pointe in Pinedale, explored water management on the Upper Green River. More than 100 people took advantage of the unique opportunity that included presentations by Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, State Engineer Pat Tyrrell, State Geologist Ron Surdam, State Climatologist Steve Gray, and other experts on water issues.

Topics discussed included potential water storage projects, climate change, energy development, groundwater, glaciers, Colorado River system management, and the value of water.

Water Management on the Upper Green was part of The Stroock Forum on Wyoming Lands and People and organized by Anne MacKinnon, adjunct professor, University of Wyoming Helga Otto Haub School of Environmental and Natural Resources.

Click on this link for an in-depth article about the topics discussed: Water Management Challenges in the Upper Green – Stroock Forum (9 photos)

WG&F to host wolf meetings (posted 11/17/08)
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will host public information gathering meetings and a public comment period to finalize an emergency rule regarding gray wolf management in Wyoming. The regulatory process has been initiated to finalize emergency regulation Chapter 21 put in place to address concerns identified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the state's regulatory mechanisms for the management of wolves.

The proposed rule includes specific language to clarify Wyoming's commitment to maintain at least 15 breeding pairs of wolves and 150 individual wolves in Wyoming's established Trophy Game Management Area. The draft rule also addresses actions the commission will take if numbers within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the Rockefeller Parkway drop below eight breeding pairs.

Other revisions include shortening some reporting requirements for those who kill wolves, either through licensed hunting or through livestock depredation actions; further defining "damage to private property" and "chronic wolf depredation"; further restricting the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission's ability to change the boundaries of the Trophy Game Management Area; and restricting lethal take permits to no more than two wolves.

These changes are consistent with recent draft changes to Wyoming's Gray Wolf Management Plan. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will be considering changes to the plan at its November 17-18 meeting in Jackson. The commission will consider changes to Chapter 21 at it January 29-30 meeting in Cheyenne.

The public meetings regarding the proposed rule will be held as follows:
Dec. 15 - Lander, Inn of Lander, Warbonnet Room, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16 - Jackson, Wyoming Game and Fish Regional Office, 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 - Cody, Big Horn Federal, 7 p.m.

Written comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 29, 2008. Written comments should be mailed to:
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Wildlife Division
ATTN: Regulations
3030 Energy Lane
Casper, WY 82604

Copies of the draft regulations are available at the same address and on the Game and Fish website.

The Game and Fish supports the Americans with Disabilities Act. Every effort will be made for reasonable accommodations by contacting the nearest Game and Fish office.

Related Links:
Wyoming Game and Fish Department web page - Read the proposed wolf rules here.
Wolf Watch - By Cat Urbigkit

Fish managers for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Pinedale net fish for a population estimate on the Green River near Daniel earlier this summer. Photo by Mark Gocke, WGFD

Green River fish numbers look good (posted 11/17/08)
Annual river check-up to check fish populations
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
(Pinedale) – Fish biologists with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Pinedale performed their annual "check-up" on the Green River trout population this summer and have given it a clean bill of health.

Each year, fish biologists sample a couple different sections of the popular fishery between Green River Lakes and LaBarge to get a picture of the fish population and compare it to data from previous years.

The sampling technique has been used for years. Boats, equipped with generators and electrodes that dip into the water, slowly float downstream producing an electrical current that temporarily immobilizes the fish causing them to float to the surface. This allows fish biologists to catch them with a dip-net and drop them into a live well on the boat. Within minutes, the fish recover and are back to normal.

Some of the deeper holes with good hiding cover can hold a lot of fish, meaning the dip-netting can be fast and furious. The biologists don’t get them all by any means. They estimate they get about 10-15 percent during each pass, which is an adequate sample to make a population estimate. In addition to the total number of fish, the trout are all weighed and measured to get a picture of the age structure of the population and assess their general body condition. Then the data is compared to that of previous years to determine the population trend over time.

"Things, actually, looked pretty good this year," said Pinedale fish biologist, Darren Rhea. "We’re always concerned about the potential effects of extended periods of drought like we’ve had, but populations seem to be holding up pretty good in the Green."

Rhea says drought can negatively impact a trout fishery in a number of ways. "Of course you have less water during dry years, which can reduce the amount of habitat available and typically results in warmer water temperatures. This can stress the fish, making them more susceptible to disease, predation, and angling mortality." Unintended angling mortality can occur to fish from the additional stress of being caught even though it is released back into the water.

Rhea also noted that trout populations seem to be weathering a Malathion spill that occurred in the river near Daniel last summer. The spill occurred in late July of 2007 as part of a mosquito spraying project. "We definitely lost some fish to the spill, but we’re encouraged to see that our sampling efforts didn’t show a measurable reduction in fish numbers."

As you might expect, the fish managers are genuinely interested in all the fish species of the river, including those less popular with anglers such as mountain whitefish, mountain sucker, and mottled sculpin, to name a few. "We generally don’t have time to collect data on all the non-game species during these sampling efforts, but we definitely pay attention to the numbers as they are an important part of the system and a good indicator of habitat quality," said Rhea.

Managers have identified eight reaches of river to be sampled on a three-year rotation, two or three each year. This year, fish managers sampled waters above the Forest Service boundary at Kendall Bridge and downstream between 40 Rod Creek and Daniel. "Each reach is representative of a different stretch of the river and allows us to gain an understanding of the trout population throughout the entire system," says Rhea. "Some sections will show higher numbers of trout with generally smaller fish, while others are typically comprised of larger fish at lower numbers." Next year, fish managers plan to sample the river near Warren Bridge and LaBarge. "We were glad to see our estimates of fish at or above our management objectives for the reaches we sampled," said Rhea.

"Anglers should note that we recently changed the fishing regulations pertaining to the Green River to be more consistent across the entire river." Rhea added that "population estimates are an important management tool used to evaluate the status of trout populations and address the factors that affect this popular recreational fishery." For more information on the Green River or other Pinedale area fisheries, you may contact the Pinedale Game and Fish office at 1-800-452-9107 (in-state only) or 307-367-4353.

Articles on drilling and water quality (posted 11/17/08)
Mention Sublette County and Pinedale
Below are links to two articles on drilling and water quality, which mention Sublette County natural gas drilling activity. Both articles were written by Abrahm Lustgarten. who does international reporting on topics including environmental and energy issues.

The Denver Post
Denver and the west
Drilling process causes water supply alarm
By Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, November 17, 2008
Excerpt: "The contamination in Sublette County is significant because it is the first to be documented by a federal agency, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. But more than 1,000 other cases of contamination have been documented by courts and state and local governments in Colorado, New Mexico, Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania."

ProPublica.org
Energy & Environment
Buried Secrets: Is Natural Gas Drilling Endangering U.S. Water Supplies?
by Abrahm Lustgarten - November 13, 2008
Excerpt: "Over the last few years, however, a series of contamination incidents have raised questions about that EPA study and ignited a debate over whether the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing may threaten the nation's increasingly precious drinking water supply…"

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