A Roadtrip through Paradise or a Gas Drilling Frenzy?

Without a doubt, the prettiest drive I have ever taken was on U.S. Highways 191 and 89, through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

I’ve seen prettier five mile stretches, but nothing this spectacular stretching this far. For nearly two hours from Pinedale, WY to the Palisades Dam in Idaho, I was sure that each turn in the road would finally bring an end to the spectacular hills and tall pine forests – but it just kept going. It was unbelievable: Every bend through the narrow Hoback River Canyon brought more lodgepole pines, more streams, more deer, and more beauty.

But if the Plains Exploration and Production Company (PXP) gets its way, that beauty and the wildlife that accompanies it could wind up devastated. PXP plans to drill more than 130 natural gas wells in the forest, installing 17 new well pads and 29 miles of new or upgraded roads just south of Jackson Hole. According to Citizens for the Wyoming Range, “the project will also include pipelines, compressor stations, industrial water wells, truck staging areas, and other industrial features.”

We can’t let this happen to the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is the second largest National Forest outside of Alaska, and brings together the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Wyoming’s Wind River Range, the Continental Divide, and the Idaho border. According to Wikipedia, more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails interlink with trails in Yellowstone Park. Hikers on those trails often see such threatened or rare species as grizzly bears, wolves, black-footed ferrets, and peregrine falcons, not to mention bison, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, and mountain lions.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the largest, most-intact ecosystem in the continental U.S. – a global treasure. And The Wilderness Society wants to make sure it is protected from natural gas exploration. Their Change.org petition asks forest supervisor Jacqueline Buchanan to “impose the strictest environmental standards and protections on this natural gas development,” and attempt to buy back PXP’s leases. If drilling must proceed, the petition says it should be phased over time with concentrated facilities, and using state-of-the art green technologies.

"The company should be held accountable if air, water, or wildlife are harmed," the petition states.

This petition has already gained over 25,000 signatures in just one week. I was proud to be its first signer – please, don’t let its momentum stall. Sign the petition and with one click, you’ll be helping to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and save the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

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Photo Credit: Island Lake in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, courtesy Flickr user Show Us Your Togwotee.