Mission

With conservationists, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, members of the media, and invovled community members, we examined the locations of proposed and existing natural gas wells and infrastructure in the beautiful North Fork Valley, as well as wildlands that are especially threatened due to their high potential for natural gas development.

We contrasted this relatively quiet agrarian and undeveloped landscape of the North Fork to the dramatic natural gas fields near Colbran. The North Fork Valley, like the neighboring Thompson Divide, occupies a precarious position at the edge of economically-viable natural gas development in the otherwise highly productive Piceance Basin. Citizens, business owners, environmental advocates, and local governments have long argued that any marginal benefit of mineral extraction is far outweighed by the benefits of maintaining the area’s vibrant ecosystems, recreation- and agriculture-based economies, and aesthetic character. However, threats from mineral interests continually evolve in response to BLM leasing, and the North Fork Valley enjoys no permanent protection from future natural gas expansion.

Despite the ecological importance of the swaths of wildlands, roadless areas, and important wildlife habitat, we flew over, these landscapes are highly threatened by oil and gas development. Thank you to our partners for your advocacy to encourage the BLM to close lands in the North Fork Valley to oil and gas leasing and protect these special places.

Click for flight photos, aerial video, or georeferenced photos (download and open in Google Earth). Or, our collection of aerial North Fork Valley photos