|
<br />" . )
<br />\"" .
<br />
<br />
<br />Revegetation 01 spent shale rank.s as a top envlfonmental
<br />issue tor oil shale. Many experiments. such as Colony's
<br />(above). have been conducted on revegetation. but un.
<br />certamties and unknowns still cloud the issue. As the
<br />
<br />.111 the ~f'pd",~" At the regional EPA office, H.lrda\\'a~'
<br />agrecs thallhe indUSlrv does iac(' a seed problem. SuI.
<br />he adds, "Tht~ general plan is to put on grasses at first
<br />and let nalural species invade the plots. With thi!> plan I
<br />think vou (an get an absolutely nalural plot, meaning
<br />that YOU \\'on'l be able 10 disfingui<,h it irom ih sur-
<br />rounding"."
<br />According 10 Kilburn, Colon\' plans to go out and
<br />gather seed" irom the nalive vegetation. "You can',
<br />buy .,('edo;, 01 some sppcies for brow<;e," he point,> out.
<br />"so we \\'ill have to coll(>("t them bv hand." And, he
<br />add.., tht' Soil Con..ervation Service i~ working to
<br />introduce native ..N..d.. to commercial ..eeo growers.
<br />A find!, and long tprm, problf.'m jor r('\'{'getation
<br />allempl~ come" bad.. to the ~d1t~ in the ~pent..hale, "A
<br />tew year.. alter rC'vegetation." ..ays Fletcher, "the ~alt~
<br />bene.1th the rp\egetatt'd zont' will ..t.ut movin~ up b\"
<br />capilldrv action, Tht'n who know~ what could happen?
<br />WI.' could be bdCk 10 ..quare ont',"
<br />Colony ..cienliq.. 'oil\" tht'v have iound 'oUch capillar\'
<br />action to be a problem on onl\ one oi their revegeta-
<br />tion plot". "But the f'vidpnct-' is not clp.H on thl" point,"
<br />SJ\"S Kilburn. "If \'it' do iind that it is J potential
<br />problpm, then therp.up wav" to miligatt> II." he ..av".
<br />"One way, although t'\ppn"i\e, i..lo put a la\er ol..and
<br />about 2 it'd do\\n below tht, ~uriact:' to break the
<br />fJpillarv .lction. The "alh can "PPp dO\\n through the
<br />..and, bUI thev can't get bac" up." Tht, n>.11 problem
<br />with capillJr\' action. uniortunateh, Olav be lime. Year"
<br />.liter the ..pent ..halt' ha.. lwen revegetatt'd. thp ...lit..
<br />could q.ut to ri..e. and "0 Hardawa\ ~a\..: "\Ve \\ill
<br />have to \\atrh it careiull\ ior 15 to 20 \ear..,"
<br />
<br />Wildlife lifestyle changes, 100
<br />The "U((e.... 01 Colon v'.. and olher companle.... con-
<br />tinuing e\perinwnt.;, will haw impacts iar be\ond the
<br />
<br />18 "KUll\! \\,,,1 f1!"'CH~\"R~ 101110'" f..\>,,,..,, lQ-~
<br />
<br />illustrations indicate. Colony's revegetation experiments on
<br />spent shale represent many years of research. In its test
<br />plots. several species are bemg grown. includmg a variety of
<br />native grasses and shrubs.
<br />
<br />aesthetic<; oj the oil.shal€' region, According to Kil-
<br />burn, "A major impact of extensive oil-shale develop-
<br />menl could be on the survival oi certain birds of prev in
<br />thl." art"a. Ii \\e ha\'t' an occasional development, a plant
<br />here and a plant then'. <iO that we do have refuges,
<br />th(>n tht' imp.lCt would be much less, With a iull-
<br />fledged program," he ..tres...es, "we must 100" very
<br />cart>lully at \....here the oil-shale operations are going to
<br />be and where the wildlife i", so that some areas remain
<br />intact as wildlife refuge<..," And. he adds, it should be
<br />pos'iible ior the Bureau 01 land .\lanagementlo identi-
<br />iy, and ..et a..idf', <.,Uit.lble reiuge area~ in the very near
<br />luturt',
<br />The oil-~ha[e region is al.;,o the winter range area ior
<br />the largest herd oi miwatory deer in the world, a herd
<br />of 10,000 to 60.000 animals. According to the Interior
<br />Dept., oil-..hale development will cau~e an "e<..timated
<br />minimum" reduction oi 10 percent in the herd. Ae-
<br />fOrding 10 Johnson ot the Colorado Open Space
<br />Council. Colorado v\ildlif(> ('xperts claim the 10<"" could
<br />run a<; high a... is to 80 pern'nt.
<br />Deer do adapt iarilv wpllto human development:
<br />people at Anvil Point.. have reported <..eeing deer on
<br />the plant sileo And, a<.. oil-<..hale advocate<.. often point
<br />out. deer are lnown 10 eat v\ ate red gra..se.., such a~ the
<br />local iarmers' alialia. But to .,u~tain a large deer herd.
<br />the region will probabh n('ed both .mimal refuges and
<br />a good <iupph oi brO\\"e, \\hich, in turn. depends
<br />paniallv on the <;ucce,,<.. oi revegl>tation, So, the eHeels
<br />on wildlite in the region, like mol"' olher ecological
<br />impacts 01 the oil-shale indusln, ..Iill i<.. a question
<br />mar"- And most oi the..e environmental questions \\ill
<br />probabh rpmain unan..wered until at least one or two
<br />commercial plants come on the scene and induslrv.
<br />government and environmentalisl rt.'~earch can co~-
<br />hnue on a commercial scale,
<br />
|