Greetings,

The fight for protection of the Roan Plateau continues, with some good news to report from recent weeks. You may recall that in September, the Bureau of Land Management issued leases for the public lands on the Roan Plateau, and dismissed over 15,000 protests filed by concerned parties ranging from local citizens to the State of Colorado. On the same day, a team of sportsmen, recreation and conservation groups filed for an injunction in federal court to prevent full-scale drilling of the Roan Plateau and protect its important natural values as they are today.

Last Friday, all parties involved, including the Bureau of Land Management and the oil and gas companies holding the new leases on the Roan, agreed to a ban on surface disturbance on the Roan Plateau until June 2009. This ensures that the concerns expressed in our litigation will be heard and carefully considered before any development will be contemplated. 

It has been a long time since we began our work to protect the Roan Plateau, and it is as a result of the tenacity (and patience!) of the citizens and communities of Colorado that the public lands in the Roan planning area still remain undeveloped. As we move into this next phase, it is important that citizens continue to advocate for the protection of the Roan. 

Remember that conservation successes are often not won in single moments, but in a series of small wins that add up, over time, to save the places that we cherish. Despite this administration’s best efforts to fast-track drilling on the Roan, we have built a powerful alliance that has succeeded in preventing new drilling until we get our day in court. And there is no doubt that the tremendous effort built around protecting the Roan has helped change the dynamics of citizen involvement in energy and environmental issues in Colorado, regardless of the outcomes of our fight for the Roan Plateau. Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of the Roan!

We'll be keeping you posted.

Joe Neuhof
Save Roan Plateau
www.saveroanplateau.org

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