SWAN takes flight
the
Sopris Carbondale’s
weekly, non-profit newspaper
Sun
Volume 3, Number 35 | October 13, 2011
A line of tractors, trailed by a parade of sign-carrying Thompson Divide supporters, rolled down Main Street following Saturday’s rally at the Third Street Center to oppose gas drilling west of Carbondale. Photos by Jane Bachrach
Thompson Divide Coalition rally draws 300 By Allyn Harvey Sopris Sun Correspondent
R
esidents from the lower Roaring Fork Valley rallied in Carbondale Saturday morning to prevent energy development in the Thompson Divide area. Nearly 300 people showed up for a rally at the park behind the Third Street Center that featured petitions to the federal government, a variety of speakers, music and a strong message of support for the work of the Thompson Divide Coalition. The coalition, commonly referred to as the TDC, is comprised of area ranchers, business owners, conservationists and residents who have been working for more than three years to preserve 221,000 acres of federal lands between McClure Pass and Sunlight Mountain ski resort. Cars parked outside the Third Street Center were the first indication of the diversity of support for keeping drilling rigs from the Thompson Divide — there were just as many bumper stickers opposing the Hidden Gems wilderness initiative as there were supporting it. A half dozen tractors, driven in by local
ranchers, were lined up at the edge of the rally with signs hanging off their shovels and in their windows that said: “Tractors for Thompson Divide” and, “Ranchers for Thompson Divide — My livelihood, my job.” A number of people standing in the crowd held up signs, including one by Richard Vottero that said “Trade my water for oil? No frackin’ way” and another held up by a young boy that simply said “Clean air. Clean Water.” Katrina Byars, who helped organize and promote the event with Malcolm McMichael, pointed out that the federal government has issued 81 leases to energy development companies, such as SG Interests based in Houston, in the Thompson Divide area. None are currently being developed, but SG has asked the Bureau of Land Management to allow it to drill a test well and eventually combine 16 leases into a single unit. “We will see the giant flame plumes up there,” Byars told the crowd at the outset. She talked about the impacts to the community, the local environment and water supplies that will come with development. “Nobody wants this,” she said. “And we’re here today to tell the Bureau of Land Management and the energy companies that this place is
E rk Fo SID ng N
PAGE 7
I i ar GE PA
PAGE 6
New tennis courts
Ro
PAGE 4
Sharrows lane proposed
M RA
LOOK INSIDE:
already being used. It’s where we ski, we camp, we ride, we hike, we fish.” For the next hour, members of the crowd stepped up onto the stage and gave reasons for preserving the area. Chuck Ogilvy, a longtime resident of the central Rockies, pointed out how important the area is for hunters, who rely on healthy game herds. Next up, former Carbondale Trustee Russ Criswell emphasized the importance of the area and its streams to Carbondale’s water supply. And throughout the day, the theme of clean, safe water — and the threat that energy development poses to it — was brought up by speaker after speaker. Mark Hamilton, who works at the Aspen Skiing Co. and manages its employee-funded environment foundation, pointed out the area’s recreational value for skiers, climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobilers and others before citing a statistic that Sen. Mark Udall has recently shared — the outdoor recreation industry grew 6 percent last year, to $700 billion. He RALLY page 11