In Gallatin County, Mont., and Delta County, Colo., local
citizens and county governments are fiercely resisting the recent,
no-holds-barred push to drill for coalbed methane.
Magazine
September 2, 2002
As a new boom in coalbed methane gas drilling hits the West, some counties are taking on industry-friendly state regulating agencies and demanding that gas companies listen to local concerns. Also in this issue: EPA chief Christie Whitman and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig dipped champagne glasses in Idaho's Lake Coeur d'Alene and toasted the newly-created commission tasked with cleaning up mining waste in the lake. But the Coeur d'Alene Tribe wants the problem to be taken seriously.
Feature
Sidebar
Poor but coal-rich Delta County, Colo., made history when
its county commissioners, responding to a determined citizens'
movement, voted to deny four coalbed methane test wells and attach
conditions to the drilling of a fifth.
Essays
For environmental as well as aesthetic reasons, parks like
Grand Teton in Wyoming are doing away with wilderness outhouses,
and requesting hikers to use "poop bags" to pack out human
waste.
Perspective
The Bush administrations' push to drill and drill yet more
in the West is likely to have surprising consequences, arousing
even some Republicans to protest.
Writers on the Range
The term "NIMBY" is used as a term of abuse, but the
writer says that when it comes to things like coalbed methane
drilling on Colorado's Western Slope, he is eager and proud to
declare: NOT IN MY BACKYARD.
Book Reviews
Land, Wind and Hard Words: A Story of Navajo Activism by
John W. Sherry tells the story of the Navajo grassroots
environmental group Dine CARE and the dedicated small group of
people who founded it, 10 years ago.
The Culminating Conference for the year-long series,
Moving Waters: The Colorado River and the West, is set for four
days in September in Flagstaff, Ariz.
As part of the United Nations' 2002: The Year of the
Mountains proclamation, a program on the problems facing mountain
peoples will be held in Silverton, Colo., Sept. 26-28.
In Barefoot Hearted: A Wild Life with Wildlife, Kathleen
Meyer relates her adventures in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, where
she shares an old dairy barn with her boyfriend and numerous
uninvited animal guests.
Bradford Morrow's novel, Ariel's Crossing, tells a
poignant story of family and reconciliation in New Mexico, where
the nuclear weapons testing of 40 years ago still haunts the land
and the people.
Outdoor Classroom on Rangeland Health
Sopris Foundation's Web site
Western Colorado Congress
Heard Around the West
Mini-ranch sold on eBay; smashed toilets become office
foundation; Aspen man blown away by job requirements; "Russian
Mafia" robbing Idaho hikers; meth addicts stealing old-growth
trees; Water Board plans cloud-seeding; and grasshopper
plague.
Dear Friends
Breaking all the rules, HCN writes about local coalbed
methane story; Visitors; interesting mail about enviro
"psychohistory"; no Centennial Hotel in Elko; HCN goes to Seattle
for board meeting, potluck
Mountain photographers Galen and Barbara Rowell die in a
California plane crash.
News
The planned Superfund cleanup of Idaho's Lake Coeur
d'Alene is taken from the EPA and given to a controversial new
local commission, although the Coeur d'Alene Tribe says it will
force the EPA to take back the project, if necessary.
180 lynx to be released in Colorado; stricter noise rules
in Grand Canyon; Bureau of Indian Affairs to create federal Indian
Energy and Minerals office; bark beetles hit Arizona pinon
pines.
On the Navajo Reservation, Indigenous Community
Enterprises is using thinned small trees from fire-prone, overgrown
forests to build hogans for housing - and the tribal economy as
well.
Fire-proofing houses is a thriving new business in
Durango, Colorado's fire-prone forests, but the only real solution
to the problem is to quit building in the urban-wildland interface,
many say.
Letters
Today's Featured Stories
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OWN YOUR OWN CANYON - 1400 SF STRAW-BALE ECO-HOME ON 80 ACRES - 3 HOURS FROM L.A. 1400 sf of habitable space in a custom-designed eco-home created and completed by a published L.A. architect in 1997-99. Nestled within its own 80-acre mountain...
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WYOMING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE We are hiring a Wyoming Conservation Associate Full time, competitive pay and benefits. Location: Cody, WY (preferred), Jackson, WY, or Lander, WY Visit www.greateryellowstone.org/careers for...
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SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR The National Parks Conservation Association, the nations leading national park advocacy organization, seeks a Regional Director to lead and manage staff for the Southwest Regional...
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DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS This newly created position with The Nature Conservancy's Colorado River Program will play a key role in the development and implementation of strategies to achieve...
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PROGRAM OFFICER, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, NOVO FOUNDATION 
The Foundation NoVo Foundation acts from the original meaning of philanthropy: the love of humanity. The Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing a global social transformation...
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ARMY OF THE DOG A new generation of monkey wrenchers hits the Front Range?
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ANNIE CLARK TANNER FELLOWSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES The Tanner Humanities Center and the Environmental Humanities Program of the University of Utah seek an environmental writer to offer classes in Utahs Environmental Humanities...
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ALASKA STATE DIRECTOR
The Wilderness Society works to protect Wildlands and inspire Americans to care for our public lands. We seek to hire a strategic, experienced leader who...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) seeks an individual to lead this 45-year-old organization as executive director, to carry on ICLs work as Idahos leading voice...
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IDAHO RIVERFRONT: 2+ acres, 400+ feet on Snake River, 2800 sf residence, NWF-certified wildlife habitat, excellent hunting, fishing, birdwatching, stargazing, sunsets & panoramic views. In the heart...
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WILDEARTH GUARDIANS IS EXPANDING - THREE JOB OPENINGS Guardians is expanding and looking for a few great people to join us in protecting and restoring the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health...
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SUNNYSIDE MARKET SEEKS NEW PROPRIETOR Organic grocery/cafe at Glacier Bay needs a vibrant leader. Love good food, community, and Alaska? Join us!
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NO INDIVIDUAL HEROES: OURAY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM Ouray County, Colorado, a popular tourist destination, has dramatic mountains and amazing winter ice climbing. Challenging terrain and high altitude can push visitors to their...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM ASSOCIATE - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Associate-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM COORDINATOR - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Coordinator-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM MANAGER - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Manager-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, SOUTHERN CA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Associate-Southern CA. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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THE BOOK OF BARLEY -
Collector's Item! The story of barley, the field crop. 50 years of non-fiction research. www.barleybook.com
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TEMPORARY ASSISTANT EDITOR Are you a climber and a writer who is passionate about mountain literature? Do you love searching through old alpine journals for stories of esoteric...
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RIVER TRIP LEADER & EDUCATOR Colorado Canyons Association (CCA) is a growing nonprofit organization fostering community stewardship of our National Conservation Lands with a focus on Dominguez-Escalante, Gunnison Gorge and...
