NEWS RELEASE

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July 23, 2008

Locals protest leasing on Little Mountain

Locals fear that with the seismic exploration, wildcat drilling and now the large scale leasing sale of 6700 acres on Little Mountain on August 5th that this is leading to a buildup of a major new field.

Little Mountain is a favorite recreational area for many locals and is home to one of the finest elk herds in Wyoming.  The lease sale area is on the west slope of Little Mountain at the headwaters of the middle and west forks of Currant Creek, the edge of the checkerboard along Currant Creek just a mile upstream from where it enters the Flaming Gorge.  Other parcels are southwest of Little Mountain near Wildhorse Draw.  All of these parcels fall within Elk Hunt Area 31.  This area provides crucial habitat for mule deer, elk, Colorado River cutthroat trout, sage grouse, antelope and many other species.  This area has been recognized as have high recreational value by the Rock Springs Bureau of Land Management.

Elk Hunt Area 31 is a limited quota region that represents of coveted desert tags that are so hard to come by.  This is also Deer Hunt Area 102 – a limited quota area that will be offering only 400 licenses this year.  This is also Antelope Hunt Area 112 – a limited quota area offering only 250 licenses.  Little Mountain is important to all of the hunters in the region as well as non-resident hunters.

Since 1990, the area has benefited from about $1.4 million in habitat restoration projects funded by conservation groups, state and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management.  The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has also spent at least $351,000 on habitat improvement projects.

Two conservation groups filing protests are the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation.  The deadline for filing individual protests has passed but letters, calls and emails to US Congress members and Governor Freudenthal would be helpful.

Contact Joyce Corcoran for more information.  362-5301.