Take Action to Protect Wild Horses In Wyoming From Massive Industrialization of Public Lands

The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments on its plan to increase natural gas drilling on public lands in Wyoming by as much as 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 

The Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Drilling Project involves more than 20 companies, led by BP American Production. If approved, the expansion could add about 9,000 wells on just over 6,100 well pads in a 1.1 million-square-mile area stretching from 25 miles west of Rawlins to 50 miles east of Rock Springs. The majority of the land is federally owned. The project will directly impact two wild horse Herd Management Areas (HMAs): 119,600 acres of the 251,000­ acre Lost Creek HMA in the northwest corner, and 5,826 acres of the 472,812-acre Adobe Town HMA along the southwest perimeter west of Baggs, Wyoming.  In addition to the project further industrializing public lands and wild horse habitat within the Lost Creek and Adobe Town HMAs, the project area would further industrialize public lands immediately adjacent to the Salt Wells Creek HMA and the Divide Basin HMA. 

Please submit your comments to BLM by March 6. Encourage BLM to choose an Alternative that minimizes impacts of the proposed development to wild horses.

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Background/Additional Information

Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Drilling Project would be an expansion of two existing natural gas drilling fields in the Red Desert — the Continental Divide/Wamsutter II and Creston/Blue Gap natural gas fields. The proposal includes more than 20 companies, led by BP American Production. If approved, the expansion could add as many as 9,000 wells on just over 6,100 well pads in a 1.1 million-square-mile area.  

For horses on the Adobe Town HMA, the many impacts associated with natural gas development will further harass wild horses traumatized just two years ago (fall 2010) during the most recent gather of the Adobe Town/Salt Creek Complex. Conducted in the fall of 2010, BLM removed 1,939 horses from the complex. It is estimated that just 860 adult horses remain.

For wild horses on the Lost Creek HMA, potential impacts to water could be disastrous.  The Lost Creek HMA is located within the closed Great Divide Basin, which receives under six inches of precipitation each year.  Every bit of water is critically important for these wild horses.  Any activity which threatens to impact water quality and quantity need be critically scrutinized.

If you prefer, you can also submit your comments prior to 4:30 pm (MST) by March 6, 2013 by regular mail, fax or email:

Bureau of Land Management
Rawlins Field Office 
P.O. Box 2407
Rawlins, WY 82301
fax: 307-328-4224

or email to:

Continental_Divide_Creston_WYMail@blm.gov

Map 3.10-1. Wild horse management areas within the CD-C project area in relation
to major land cover types and affected grazing allotments.