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Black Gold is a collection of nine articles looking at specific individuals, oil fields, issues, and oil companies in the history of Wyoming's oil industry. Individually, each chapter focuses on an important item or incident in that history; together they illustrate patterns in the development of Wyoming's oil industry. The reader will come to see the important roll played by big business and the federal government in Wyoming's oil history. This roll at times contributed to, and at other times retarded, the development of Wyoming's oil industry.
Sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) populations have declined dramatically throughout the western United States since the 1960s. Increased gas and oil development during this time has potentially contributed to the declines. I investigated impacts of development of natural gas fields on greater sage- grouse (C. urophasianus) breeding behavior, seasonal habitat selection, and population growth in the upper Green River Basin of western Wyoming. Greater sage-grouse in western Wyoming appeared to be excluded from attending leks situated within or near the development boundaries of natural gas fields. Declines in the number of displaying males were positively correlated with decreased distance from leks to gas-field-related...
The midget faded rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis concolor) has long been considered a subspecies of the western rattlesnake (C. viridis). This document will follow this convention, although there is some discussion of taxonomic revision at the species level that would categorize the midget faded rattlesnake as C. oreganos concolor (Crother et al. 2003). Midget faded rattlesnakes are a pale brownish gray, cream, or straw color. Blotches on the body are faded, subrectangular or sub-elliptical. As with most rattlesnakes, the most distinguishing feature is the rattle. Midget faded rattlesnakes are pit vipers, with the typical heat-sensing pits on each side of the head, between the eyes and mouth, used for detecting prey....
Some ecological characteristics of 25 white-tailed (Cynomys leucurus) and 21 black-tailed (Cynomys ludovicianus) prairie dog colinies in Wyoming were compared. The size of the colonies and density of burrow openings were similar for the two species, but the number of white-tailed prairie dogs per 100 km2 and the number of hectares occupied by white-tails per 100 km 2 were 3.7 and 4.6 times greater, respectively, than for black-tails. Sixty-four vertebrate species (22 mammals, 33 birds, five reptiles, and four amphibians) were found on prairie dog colonies. The ecological relationships between prairie dogs and associated vertebrate predator species and the history of prairie dog control in Wyoming are discussed.
The Rawlins Field Office area lies within south-central and southeast Wyoming (Figure 1). The main goals of our analysis of a Reasonable Foreseeable Development scenario were to technically analyze the oil and gas resource occurring within the Field Office area and to project future development potential and activity levels for the period 2001 through 2020. It is a base line scenario and thus it assumes that future activity levels will not be constrained by management-imposed conditions (Rocky Mountain Federal Leadership Forum, 2002). We have recognized current legislatively imposed restrictions that could affect future activity levels and constrained this base line scenario where those types of restrictions have...
One of the fastest growing areas of natural gas production is coal bed methane (CBM) due to the large monetary returns and increased demand for energy from consumers. The Powder River Basin, Wyoming is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of CBM development with projections of the establishment of up to 50,000 wells. CBM disturbances may make the native ecosystem more susceptible to invasion by non-native species, but there are few studies that have been conducted on the environmental impacts of this type of resource extraction. To evaluate the potential effects of CBM development on native plant species distribution and patterns of non-native plant invasion, 36 modified Forest Inventory and Analysis plots (each...
Bat conservation is a relatively new phenomenon in Wyoming. Before 1994, bats were not legally protected in the state. In 1994, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved a nongame wildlife regulation protecting several wildlife species, including bats. In 1998, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) joined efforts with other western states to develop the Species Conservation Assessment and Conservation Strategy for the Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Pierson and others 1999). The resulting document has served as the foundation and the guiding force behind bat conservation efforts in Wyoming. The development of the Western Bat Working Group soon followed this unprecedented proactive conservation initiative....
Colorado is the only state in Region 2 in which significant populations of Abert’s squirrels (Sciurus aberti) exist. Populations of the squirrel have fluctuated widely over the past 100 years, but the species’ viability does not appear to be threatened, nor is the species in danger of extinction at a landscape or forest level anywhere in Colorado. It is normal for the abundance of Abert’s squirrels to vary greatly and frequently due to weather conditions and food supplies. Numbers change over longer periods with forest management practices that alter squirrel habitat condition. Large wildfires have eliminated squirrels and squirrel habitat over vast areas, but such losses do not threaten the species’ viability in...
This Kemmerer planning area Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) Scenario is part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Management Plan (RMP) revision process. The purpose of the document is to provide land management planners with estimates of potential oil and gas occurrences and projections of oil and gas exploration and production activity within the planning area for the period 2001 through 2020. The information will be incorporated into the RMP and its associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Located in the southwestern corner of Wyoming, the Kemmerer planning area includes most of Uinta and Lincoln counties, the western portion of Sweetwater County, and a small area of Sublette County....
Abstract: "Oil and natural gas development in the Intermountain West region of North America has expanded over the last 2 decades, primarily within sagebrush dominated landscapes. Although the effects of energy development on high-profile game species such as the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been documented, studies examining responses of non-game birds are lacking. Simultaneously, many songbirds that breed within sagebrush steppe habitats have shown range-wide population declines that are likely due to widespread habitat loss and alteration. We evaluated songbird abundance and species richness across gradients of oil and natural gas development intensity, as indexed by well density, at 3...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: WLCI Related Publication
The Nongame Program of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Department) was initiated in July 1977. This report summarizes data collected from 15 April 2002 to 14 April 2003 on various nongame bird and mammal surveys and projects conducted by Department personnel, other government agencies, and individuals in cooperation with the Department. Cooperating agencies and individuals are listed in Appendix I or in the individual completion reports, but we recognize that the listing does not completely credit the valuable contributions of the many cooperators, including Wyoming Game and Fish Department Regional Biologists and members of the public. In October of 1987, a Nongame Strategic Plan was distributed; this Plan...
Modification of landscapes due to energy development may alter both habitat use and vital rates of sensitive wildlife species. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming and Montana, USA, have experienced rapid, widespread changes to their habitat due to recent coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) development. We analyzed lek-count, habitat, and infrastructure data to assess how CBNG development and other landscape features influenced trends in the numbers of male sage-grouse observed and persistence of leks in the PRB. From 2001 to 2005, the number of males observed on leks in CBNG fields declined more rapidly than leks outside of CBNG. Of leks active in 1997 or later, only...
This cooperative effort by USDA Forest Service Research and the National Forest System assesses the state of knowledge related to the conservation status of four forest carnivores in the western United States: American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine. The conservation assessment reviews the biology and ecology of these species. It also discusses management considerations stemming from what is known and identifies information needed. Overall, we found huge knowledge gaps that make it difficult to evaluate the species' conservation status. In the western United States, the forest carnivores in this assessment are limited to boreal forest ecosystems. These forests are characterized by extensive landscapes with...
The Nongame Program of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Department) was initiated in July 1977. This report summarizes data collected from 15 April 2004 to 14 April 2005 on various nongame bird and mammal surveys and projects conducted by Department personnel, other government agencies, and individuals in cooperation with the Department. Cooperating agencies and individuals are listed in the individual completion reports, but we recognize that the listing does not completely credit the valuable contributions of the many cooperators, including Wyoming Game and Fish Department District Wildlife Biologists and members of the public. In October of 1987, a Nongame Strategic Plan was distributed; this Plan was updated...
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One of the greatest challenges facing the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) in the 21st century will be our ability to maintain sustainable fish and wildlife populations and meet the expectations and desire of our citizens. This challenge can be met by addressing habitat needs and issues that seek to maintain open spaces, non-fragmented quality habitats and the ability of fish and wildlife to utilize these areas. Many areas of the state are imperiled or at-risk. Potential impacts to fish and wildlife are expanding, with some of the most noticeable being energy development, increasing demands for water, other land uses, and urban sprawl. The long-term drought, fire suppression and conflicts in public expectations...
The Nongame Program of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Department) was initiated in July 1977. This report summarizes data collected from 15 April 2006 to 14 April 2007 on various nongame bird and mammal surveys and projects conducted by Department personnel, other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in cooperation with the Department. Cooperating agencies and individuals are listed in the individual completion reports, but we recognize that the listing does not completely credit the valuable contributions of the many cooperators, including Wyoming Game and Fish Department District Wildlife Biologists and members of the public. In October of 1987, a Nongame Strategic Plan was...
Fragmentation of habitat is widely acknowledged as detrimental to wildlife and plant species. Landscape analysis is a proven method to identify fragmentation and other agents of change in a given area. Yet landscape analysis is seldom completed prior to initiation of oil and gas projects, despite considerable evidence that oil and gas extraction and transmittal are likely to cause wide-ranging disturbances in the landscape. We conducted a pilot analysis of the landscape of the existing Big Piney-LaBarge oil and gas field in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming, a region where more than 3,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled. We measured the degree of habitat fragmentation of the field using three metrics: linear...
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the second largest North American bird of prey, with an average wingspan of 7 feet. On 20 June 1782 it was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America because of its long life, great strength, and majestic appearance. This selection had its detractors, most notably Benjamin Franklin who expounded on the bald eagle’s “bad moral character.” The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head (cephalus). In adult birds, the distinctive white head and white tail contrast starkly with the dark brown body and wings. When Europeans first arrived on the North American continent there were an estimated one- quarter to one-half...
Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe was once a dominant feature of the landscape in western North America covering at least 243 million acres (60 million ha) (Beetle 1960, Vale 1975) in 16 states and 3 provinces. Most of this vast expanse has been altered by human activity. Estimates of complete loss of sagebrush-dominated areas exceed 50 % (Schneegas 1967, Braun et al. 1976, Braun 1998). The remaining sagebrush steppe has been markedly altered through treatments to benefit livestock grazing including livestock grazing as a treatment, fragmentation (roads, power lines and other structures, pipelines, reservoirs, fences, etc.), and degradation (Braun 1998). More recently, urban expansion as well as development of housing...
The Wyoming State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) was produced to provide a long-range conservation plan to conserve Wyoming’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and meet the requirements of the Congressionally-authorized State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) served as the lead agency in the development of this strategy, but many other partners and major stakeholders were invited to participate. The CWCS identifies 279 SGCN in Wyoming, along with key habitats for these species. Of these species, 44 have been included because of specific known conservation needs. The remaining 235 have been included primarily due to a lack of key data necessary...
map background search result map search result map Strategic Habitat Plan Annual Report - 2006 Strategic Habitat Plan Annual Report - 2006