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<br />-18 shale end of line for state wildlife? <br /> <br />(eontlnu..d 'rum pa("I8) <br />stud)' - which was SUfJpo)';,ffl 10 answer most or <br />the"'l\" Iluestioml - and concludt'd it "contaim'l <br />no rf'alistic quantification of the impact of these <br />actions ofl....ildlif('." <br />Thl' clear,,"st aSSl'ssmt'fll in thl" fedcral reo <br />port includes these para!:;raphs: <br />.. Animals such as thl' t'lk. moose. bf-ar and <br />mountain lion, which are l('55 tolerant of <br />human seth"it)", will t.... dC"nied a grealer <br />amount of habitat because of a\'oidance of <br />noise and human aclivil\', This will lead to the <br />\'inual disapfM-'srance 'of sue h wildE'mess <br />species from Ih", region din...-tly or indirectl)' <br />afll!'<.'ll:'d by oil shale de\"elopmenl." <br />Funh(,f, it says: "Loss of habitat, rt'duced <br />waler SUPIlI)', in('N"aM'd hunting pressure and <br />casual shooting will reduce populations of such <br />animals u hawks, t'agles. bobcat, raccoon and <br />ringtall l."at and fon;e displal."ement and in- <br />creasl'd l."Omllt'tltlon for remaining food and <br />watl'r. The sa~l' grous... a scarce but highly <br />prizl"d I':lIml' bird. will prohably almost dIsap- <br />pear from thl' oil $hale reji:l{)Ils of a..lora<lo. <br />Reductions in small pre)' species su('h a!> ro-. <br />dents lInd rabbits will also l'au~e reductloos in <br />pollulationsof prNlators." <br />What will h"PPl"n 10 thl' animals displa<"ro <br />b}'thl'oil shah.' industr)'? <br />~tost will tlit' ('ither of star\'alion or b>' being <br />har\'l'slt'das a 1."0Ilsl"l"\8tiun measure. <br />"Mull'dt'E'f. tor exampll', will slick to their <br />migration routes," Kragl'r explained. "In the <br />wint!'r the)"lI I{O dOI>T1 inlu the basin l."oml" hell <br />or hiJ:"h water. Thl'n they'll bunch up on the <br />range that'!,; still a\'ailabh'. II w<ln't sUI'I>ort <br />them, but then it's too late. Tht')' cun't mono 100 <br />miles to rood_ H tht'}' ('Huld, the)' wuuldn't." <br />If disl'lact'd animals mo\'e onlO range <br />that !$ already ('rowtled to the fong.. limit, <br />they'lI push others out and onto range still far- <br />ther from the nil shall' operations. Eoologists <br />{'aU this the "ri"plel:'ff("CL" <br />The Interior Dt-partml'nt admits the wildlife <br />ripple from the oil shale indust!.")' may be felt <br />50 miles aWil}'. <br />Al."('oroing to the C'f\lorado Dt-[>>8rtmt'nl or <br /> <br />Agriculture. eoyoll's have bren pla~uin~ sheep <br />ranchers in Rio Blanco Count)'. There are an <br />estimated 20,000 CH)'OIE's in th.. Piceancp Basin. <br />It II few thousand are displacl'd in the oil shale <br />lands, the ran<"hers can e.'q.....ct to.set' the ef- <br />fec~ on their 01>'0 ram:e near thl" basin. <br />:'.1any witl respOnd to thl' predator increaSE! <br />b)' putting out mort' r.cisons - str>'chnine ~ <br />impregnated drop baits. ~Iore than 60,000 ll('res <br />of prh'ate ranchland in Hio Blan('o COunt)' ma}' <br />alread}' Contain such drop baits. Polson pt'r- <br />mils hll\e Ufol"n issuPd for that mUt'h land by <br />the Agricultllre Dc-partmf'nt, <br />Eco]ogists of the :"ational Audubon Sodl'ty <br />were angered that Ihe Interior Dt-partment <br />made little effort to assess the rippll' effect <br />from C.a and Cob before thl' tracts W('N' Il'ast'd. <br />The s()C'lety notl"d: "Thf' suddl'n habitat <br />overstocking with disllla('ed animals ('an l."aus.e <br />II massh'e imbalancing of ec~ystl'ms ... <br />stressl's of lhl'se kinds will proered in II sl'ries <br />of shock wan's as ('lIt'h new stage of dl'vl']op- <br />m('ntand1anddislurban("e~curs." <br />Indeed, thl'fI" is good reason for state wild- <br />lif(' umelals to lit' I<loomy theM' rla)'s. Tract C- <br />a. land Ihat once was conl'iuered for indusian <br />in a refuK(' forwi]rI hurs.>s Ithere are 10 to 20 <br />there now) ('OUld I'\l"otually ha\'e an open-pit <br />mine on it two milr'i ]ung, (lne mile "-ide and <br />1.000 fl"'t't dl"f'I'. Six mill'S of gukhes on and <br />n~'ar trllrt Cob - I>hi,'h is th.... hume of 11 pair of <br />nl"Sting go]d..o ealt]l's _ hll\'(' bern suggl'sted <br />as sl'l'nt shal....dumps_ <br />So far Ihis is iust a "protot}'pe" program. If <br />the ('nergyshorlagl" grows mOfl'Se\'ere and thp <br />It''d..ral gOI'l"rnment unleashes thp indust!'). in <br />thl" rest or the Picl'ance Basin, th!" wildlife <br />could be headed for disaster . <br />What will all this ali..n d/'\'r!ofmlent bring to <br />the enl'rRv ...risis~ How much oil "ill It <br />produ('!'? . <br />pprhaps 1 milli{)ll b<.rrels a dar br 1935. <br />r.nough to supp]}' ~ per cent of th!" nation'" <br />n(,l'ds brthen. <br />NEXT: Oil shale leasu-boilerplate or Swlu <br />theuI1 <br /> <br />0029 <br />