Feature

Colliding forces: Has Colorado's oil and gas industry met its match?

In Colorado, homeowners and developers are battling the oil and gas industry as the boom in methane gas production brings increased numbers of wells to the rural landscape.

Open for business: Wyoming throws away its water to get out the gas

Under Gov. Jim Geringer's "open for business' philosophy, the methane gas industry faces little regulation in Wyoming.

Dear Friends

Dear Friends

Boise board meeting; WOTR discussion; fall interns Tim Sullivan and Oakley Brooks

News

Fires bring on a flood of federal funds

President Clinton announces a $1.5 billion plan for fire recovery and forest restoration in the nation's neglected, fire-prone national forests.

The latest bounce

Justice Dept. sues Jarbidge Shovel Brigade; BIA apologizes to Indians; wise-users sue over Clinton's new monuments; judge quashes roadless-area lawsuit; Will Stelle leaves National Marine Fisheries Service.

Looters beware: Tribes are fighting back

In the Pacific Northwest, tribes are working with archaeologists and agencies to protect the area's frequently vandalized and looted Native American historical sites.

A park rediscovers a surprising asset

In Utah, Zion National Park launches its long-awaited new public transport system, and most visitors seem to enjoy the convenience - and the lack of noise and traffic in seeing the park by bus.

Does the "death tax' protect open space?

Some say the Republican push to repeal estate taxes could impact land-preservation measures such as easements, since some of the wealth affected by the tax is land, not money.

On the trail

In Montana: Brian Schweitzer vs. Conrad Burns, and race for Rick Hill's seat; Idaho's boring election; in Washington, Deborah Senn and Maria Cantwell fight for Slade Gorton's seat; Oregon's Measure 7 is about "takings."

Ranchers test an agency's image

The refusal of three ranchers to remove cattle from Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has put the BLM's ability to manage the monument under the spotlight.

Bush camp backpedals on toppling monuments

Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney backs away from his earlier statement that George W. Bush might rescind the national monuments Clinton created.

Something is polluting the water

The Washington state health department bans shellfish harvesting in Dungeness Bay, where the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe has fished for years, because the water is polluted with fecal coliform bacteria from an unknown source.

Red-legged frog habitat slated for protection

In California, critical habitat is finally designated for the threatened red-legged frog.

A highway hits a speed bump

Utah's plans for a new freeway, the Legacy Highway, are put on hold by the EPA due to the agency's concern that the freeway could damage wetlands.

'Snooty' garages banned

Portland, Ore., bans oversized, street-facing garages on new houses.

Book Reviews

A call to heed the wild

"Balancing Water: Restoring the Klamath Basin" uses text by William Kittredge and photos by Tupper Ansel Blake and Madeleine Graham to recount the history, ecology and current problems of the Klamath Basin on the Oregon-California border.

Yellowstone's bison get a time limit

Conservationists say Yellowstone National Park's long-awaited plan for managing its wandering bison herds accommodates cows at the expense of the bison.

From cumbersome to collaborative

"Reclaiming NEPA's Potential," a compilation of proceedings from a workshop on assessing the federal government's environmental actions to make the process more collaborative, is now available.

Society for Ecological Restoration

The Northwest chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration is calling for paper abstracts before Sept. 29 for its spring conference.

Taos Art Association

Forty acres of piûon-juniper meadow is being raffled off to raise money to reopen the association's community auditorium.

Indian Land Consolidation Symposium

The 10th annual Indian Land Consolidation Symposium, Oct. 16-20, focuses on reclaiming tribal lands.

Earth First!

A commemorative issue celebrates 20 years of Earth First! Journal.

Essays

The hope of a freshly planted field

The author remembers her childhood in Bozeman, Mont., where no one thought her mother would ever succeed in growing sweet corn.

Of bison, the French and our faux wild

As the Park Service struggles to radio-collar and control Yellowstone's wandering bison, the wildness of the animal is forgotten.

Truth-telling needs a home in the West

Historic markers on a Western road trip raise questions about the way Westerners have often romanticized, concealed and lied about their history.

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West

Las Vegas lizard-smuggling; fire-inspired Montana wisdom; critic eviscerates film "Whipped"; black bear visits Nevada cook shack; gawking at bears in Aspen; motorcycle rally casualties in Colo.; motorcycle vs. hawk; town celebrates toilet.

Letters

Response to 'squishy-soft'

A critical link

Was it chinook or sockeye?

Pick up an ax

Roadless in Montana

Tourism can be self-righteous

Related Stories

How well do you know your wells?

A primer describes the technology and potential problems of methane-gas drilling.

'We need that gas'

Ken Wonstolen of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, in his own words, says that Colorado is an energy-dependent state, and the methane gas it produces is greatly needed.

'It's corporate greed'

Arnold Mackley, whose western Colorado ranch is dotted with gas wells in his own words says the industry ought to able to make a living without destroying the land.

Status quo reigns in New Mexico

In New Mexico, some say complaints about oil and gas development are dwarfed by the industry's clout.

'It's hard to keep fighting'

Janey Hines, in her own words, talks about battling the gas industry with the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, the group she heads in Parachute, Colo.

'The playing field has to be leveled'

Rancher and developer Charles Micale says the gas industry should respect the property rights of surface owners.

'We became Michiwest's sewer'

Ranchers Earl and Sue Boardman have a hard time working with Michiwest, the Michigan-based company that owns the gas wells on their land. Earl, in his own words.

'The industry's philosophy has been to fragment the community'

Wyoming Rancher Mike Foate has developed a Web site to spread information about the gas industry to his often isolated, intimidated neighbors.

'There is a light at the end of the tunnel'

Byron Oedekoven, who ranches near Gillette, Wyo., in his own words, offers advice for landowners who have to work with gas companies.

Under pressure, Montana opts for a slower approach

Near Miles City, Montana, landowners are fighting to slow down methane gas development.