Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 18.1. open spaces have persisted largely because of short,
cool growing seasons and the challenges associated with
obtaining water. However, new roads and homes are now
being constructed in such places on private land, a trend that
is characteristic of the new West. the implications can be
significant. Photo by nick Fuzessery.
thousands of miles of new roads that are required, and
invasive plants have expanded their ranges. Among the
consequences are dramatic declines in the abundance of
some native species, especially various birds found pri-
marily in shrublands and grasslands.
Alarmed by such trends in what some people refer
to as the new West, chris Madson, long-time editor of
Wyoming Wildlife, wrote in 2007:
of the past 20 years have had noticeable adverse effects
on many highly valued resources—attracting the atten-
tion of state governors and members of congress. to
illustrate, Governor Jim Geringer sponsored work-
ing groups on the protection of open space, Governor
Dave Freudenthal promoted the sage-grouse conserva-
tion initiative and the Wyoming Wildlife and natural
Resources trust (approved by the Legislature in 2005),
and Wyoming's congressional delegation sponsored
the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which withdrew some
lands from future oil and gas leasing. the current gover-
nor, Matt Mead, supports the sage-grouse conservation
initiative and is promoting policies that may mitigate
some of the adverse effects of energy development.
thanks to such initiatives, some concerns have been
addressed by state laws. it's clear that many residents
place great value on, for example, land reclamation
after mining, the protection of air and water quality,
the proper location of industrial activities, and the wise
management of threatened but still-abundant fish and
wildlife. 4 Moreover, support is growing for the improved
management of sensitive areas, such as riparian zones
and other habitats critical for threatened species, and
for the curtailment of the spread of invasive plants and
animals. Such problems are discussed in previous chap-
ters. Here the focus is on water development, multiple
use on public lands, habitat fragmentation, the concepts
it's not that we haven't been working on conservation
in the last thirty years. We've cleaned up our air and
water; we've pulled species like the black-footed ferret
and whooping crane back from the brink, but overall,
the conservation effort of the last generation is clearly
not up to the challenge of offsetting the damage to
land and wildlife we continue to inflict. . . . What will
Wyoming's streams look like in twenty years, when
the last of the high glaciers in the Wind River Range
fades away to nothing? can we adequately mitigate
the impacts of the latest round of gas drilling if the
current ten-year drought in sagebrush country con-
tinues for thirty, fifty, even a hundred years ? 3
in 1994, when Mountains and Plains was first pub-
lished, the generally accepted sentiment was that over-
all, Wyoming landscapes were about as pristine as could
be found in the lower forty-eight states (figs. 18.1 and
18.2). that may still be true. However, the rapid changes
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search