"Mule deer factory" under threat

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6600ap_wst_industrial_rockies.html

The 7,110-square-mile basin, about 170 miles west of Denver and dissected by the Colorado River, boasts some of the largest deer and elk herds in the country.Now Ellenberger wonders if Colorado can keep those bragging rights. During a recent tour of the basin, 18-wheelers barreled down a county road as companies drill holes and lay pipes for natural gas in what has become one of the nation's energy hot spots....

"I think we're watching the end of the West," said Steve Torbit, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation. "We'll have post-stamp areas like Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone and Zion National Park. The rest is going to be industrial-scale productions."

Colorado has 35,440 active wells and last year issued 6,368 drilling permits, most for natural gas. There are 1,844 producing oil and gas wells on federal land in the Piceance Basin, which holds an estimated 115 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. By 2028, there could be 2,000 well pads on federal and private land in the basin, with a rough average of 8 wells per pad, said Jim Sample of the Bureau of Land Management in Lakewood...

The industry insists it shares concerns for wildlife. "Our employees live and work here and love this state and its precious natural resources as much as anyone," said Howard Boigon, an attorney representing Bill Barrett Corp., recently told the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.