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Show Outdoor Wisdom from Hartt Wixom Are the exploration and drilling for energy fuels on a collision course with wildlife? wild-life? I believe they are in many areas of the Mountain West. Of course, that is not an attempt to make decisions for legislators, government officials who issue permits, environmentally concerned and also economically-minded economically-minded businessmen, or for that matter, the general public. It is simply that after conferring with officials of the U.S. Forest Service, game-fish biologists, sportsmen's sports-men's clubs that in sectors of Utah and Wyoming out-doorsmen out-doorsmen are going to be forced to change their habits if the national mood for oil and gas continues to say: Get it at any cost. This is not to say more sources of energy fuels should not be tapped within the country, but if things continue as they are in say, southwestern Wyoming, there is little doubt elk will not continue to be found where they have been in the Yellowstone will tolerate man only if the range is in such poor shape they must desperately seek food in lowlands. Not only is it unhealthy for the elk, but range feed is soon gone, and then massive slaughters must be executed as in the past at Yellowstone. Either way, an elk herd must be severely reduced. If increased people activity doesn't drive them to less desirable habitat, or poaching poach-ing gets them enroute. biologists have already observed ob-served elk shunning the usual open meadows and parks to seek seclusion in the foodless deep timber. But, does oil-gas explora-' explora-' tion put man in such close quarters with elk? Any sportsman can judge for him-her self. First, lines are run across the ridges and canyons. In southwestern Wyoming this is occurring along all the high country from Jackson Hole to Kem-merer, Kem-merer, including elk-laden Commissary Ridge, totally leased even now for energy rig development. Helicopters determine routes. Then, charges are set up some five feet above the ground, often exploding for hours. Sound of the charge reverberates so that even the human ear, much defective to an elk's, can hear it miles away. Next, if the right sounds bounce back, a "seismo-grapher" "seismo-grapher" jots it down. In the meantime, until a claim is filed with the administering land agent, whether forest service, Bureau of Land Management, or other, any number of companies may explore precisely same terr-rain. terr-rain. True, it may not be the exact spot, for a "blow hole" in the ground will indicate if a charge has already been exploded there. But, a map in the Kemmerer forest service office, which no one is allowed to copy (oil companies might benefit by seeing where other firms are concentrating, or vacating) ' shows that many explorations explora-tions duplicate one another. If it seems right to the company, it will pay a fee, and lease the land. As mentioned, the best elk habitat in Wyoming, perhaps the world, is even now all leased. When a rig is constructed there, it will mean up to .i dozen acres or nore, with a multi-million dollar investment becoming a permanent fixture smack in the middle of forest, or sage (the latter is often winter range for deer, moose and antelope). And, of course, a , ' federal law allows a road to be duly constructed to the site where there may have been none for miles. To be fair, rules are established to avoid such activity in elk calving, or hunting seasons in October. But, elk hunters and game biologists know the answer: , whatever else, elk will not remain permanently where man does. It's that simple. past. Wapiti have increased from the general area around Jackson Hole to Kemmerer the past decade, but indications indica-tions are this golden era will not continue. The reason is, and it could be repeated elsewhere, that no matter what red tape must be followed, elk will not live year around in close proximity to man. They may tolerate being winter-fed on refuges, including Utah's Hardware Ranch. But, even then, they won't allow man to walk or talk nearby let a man get off the hay wagon to discuss a stuck wheel to a companion, and you better not get caught in the stampede. Even elk in |