By Armond Acri, Wyoming Wildlife Federation Board Member

In May, I traveled to Washington D.C. with other concerned hunters and anglers from the West to share the sportsmen's perspective. With so many changes happening to our open country, this was an opportunity to be part of the public release of the Sportsmen's Public Lands Energy Agenda--a set of common sense policies developed by Trout Unlimited and National Wildlife Federation that recommends various improvements to current national oil and gas policy.

Participants came from Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah. Daly Edmunds, Duane Hyde and I represented Wyoming sportsmen and women. Daly is our Public Lands Coordinator. Duane is a retired Wyoming Game Warden in Afton.

Our message was simple: we recognize the need for energy development, but we feel there needs to be a balanced solution. Our visit was timed to coincide with hearings to discuss oil and gas provisions of Congressman Rahall's (WV) Energy Bill. While the Rahall bill included many components of the Sportsmen's Energy Agenda, we asked for three additional provisions:

1. Look before you lease
2. Protect the most important fish and wildlife habitat
3. Maintain public control and management flexibility

It was a busy two days spent with members of Congress and their staff, ultimately visiting 32 offices! Rick Axthelm, with Representative Cubin's office, agreed that there are some places that should be protected. We discussed the importance of any changes to current leases being voluntary and about innovative efforts to reduce the impacts of energy development being pushed forward by Wyoming based companies. Colin Hayes, of Senator Thomas's office, said the senator shared our concerns and recognized the importance of protecting special places. With Chris Tomassi of Senator Enzi's office, we discussed the challenges faced by Wyoming. We hope that Senator Enzi, Senator Barrasso (who has replaced Senator Thomas after his untimely death in June, but has retained Sen. Thomas' staff), and Representative Cubin will play the key roles necessary to preserve the quality of life enjoyed by Wyoming sportsmen.

I returned from my trip to Washington with a lot to think about. I learned that issues we face in Wyoming also are affecting sportsmen in other Rocky Mountain States. At the end of the day, we all sat around and visited. I was sad to hear sportsmen from our neighboring states declare they do not want to be like Wyoming. Many cited statistics from the Wilderness Society (October 2006) on new well activity for the next 15 to 20 years. Out of a projected 118,730 wells, 50,058 would be in Wyoming. We acknowledge our country's need for energy, and are willing to do our part to provide a portion of the energy. But we also agreed that development needs to be done in a responsible manner that leaves us with special places to hunt, fish, and enjoy the outdoors.

If you share my concerns and love our public lands, I strongly encourage you to contact the Wyoming delegation and voice your opinion! This is a great time to join others in supporting legislative protection for the Wyoming Range and leave a proud legacy for Senator Thomas. Every voice counts!

It is also worth noting that since my visit, National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership have combined their efforts to create "Sportsmen for Responsible Oil and Gas Development." This new coalition makes a powerful statement--sportsmen's interests are important and should be considered when decisions are made that affect our nation's public lands.

TAKE ACTION: Email Senator Barrasso and urge him to protect the Wyoming Range.