More than two decades have passed since the Bureau of Land Managment last updated its master plan to address how to work with approximately 1.4-million acres of BLM-administered public land surface and 4.7-million acres of federal mineral estate at overseen by the Casper office.

The office now has a new plan to guide it through the next several years.

Joe Meyer, assistant field manager for the Casper office, said the biggest change from the 1985 Platte River plan was that more territory has been made unavailable to oil and gas development, in an effort to preserve large blocks of habitat.

Completely new is policy guidance on wind energy development, he said something that wasn’t even mentioned in the 1985 document.

“We also have a much greater emphasis on protections for sage grouse,” said Meyer n a statement that conservationists dispute.

“Bottom line,” said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, “and after pointed criticism from scientists, Game and Fish biologists and the governor, BLM’s seasonal stipulations about drilling for oil and gas are not enough to protect sage grouse.

Indeed, Molvar said that BLM’s refusal to adequately deal with sage grouse habitat protection issues is the main reason the species has been discussed for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Yet the BLM maintains, in an executive summary, that the preferred alternative places more restrictions on OHV use, livestock grazing, wind-energy development, and leasing for oil and gas and other solid leasable minerals, relative to the previous plan.

Impacts

Under the preferred alternative, the following environmental impacts would be realized:

�         Approximately 1,084 acres of soils highly susceptible to water erosion and 867 acres highly susceptible to wind erosion on public lands within the planning area could be disturbed.

�         Designates approximately 2,224 acres closed to OHV use, 1,162,244 acres limited to

existing roads and trails for OHV use, and 196,824 acres limited to designated roads and trails for OHV use.

�         1,080,935 acres of BLM-administered mineral estate is open to oil and gas development with standard stipulations, 2,506,530 acres are open with moderate restrictions, and 843,139 acres are open with major restrictions.

Meyers said a fossil area near Alcova is protected, and has produced a Pterodactylus fossil.

Energy development is largely focused on two areas, said Meyers. One is the Salt Creek area, where an old oil field is getting pumped full of carbon dioxide, to squeeze out remaining oil. The second is near Waltman n a natural gas field that is getting more wells.

This RMP provides a framework for the future management direction and appropriate use of BLM-administered public lands and resources located in most of Natrona County, and all of Converse, Goshen, and Platte counties, Wyoming.