indians, envrionmentalists and wilderness

This morning I am setting out on a tour of lands to be designated as
Wilderness, there is an ongoing dispute between those who want
continued oil & gas exploration and those who want to preserve
wilderness areas from further development. The lands also include
Indian allotted lands and Indian trust lands. The tribe is needing
money for continued operations as well as allottees. The oil and gas
royalties are minimal and income is non existant. The prices at the
pump are up, but the owners receive little royalty for the gas, but yet
are dependant on it for a living.

There are a number of environmental groups vying for Indian suppport as
well as a number of private entities also seeking some support for
further development on lands which would include reservation lands. A
number of federal agencies are involved which include the BLM,. Fish &
Wildlife, BIA and Army Corps of Engineers.


This matter has come to me and I went out with the tribal people to
provide background info in several areas. I find myself questioning
where as an Indian person I fit in this mix. On one hand the money is
needed from developers. but yet there are endangered birds, water
depletion, endangered plants and more or less utilization of the land
for oil and gas. You know industry experts state that only 10-15% of
the land base is used, but in reality with the roada, pipelines and
other facilities out there, as well as daily maintenance, delivery and
production going on, the impact is more 90%.


The area used to have hundreds of antelope but now they are few and far
between. There were also wild mustangs but now they wander around in
groups of two and three. Occasionally you would see a buffalo. There
was on in particular, everyone knew him, he was tall, old and
magnificent, wandering the valleys and hills alone. He was the talk of
everyone around when he was spotted. He was killed by a truck, hit by
the bumper of ton truck as it went over the hil and so he now gone.
That is the quandry, Indians need money to provide jobs, social
services and basic things for their people and due to a dwindling
federal dollars to provide such things to tribes, the tribes are forced
to find nonrenewable resources to make up the difference.
It is ironic, the oil & gas developers don't hire Indians, even though
they promised to and so even the individual tribal members don't
benefit, but yet is continues.


I wrote a piece on wild mustangs and how I stood with some of these
Indians and watched them escape from capture. My heart and spirit ran
with them, encouraging them on, but yet I see that their time is gone.
I am going out today with two senators and three congressman as well as
many others to go over this land. I go based on necessity, but yet as I
sit here and speak with you, I wonder where it will all go. We seem to
bent in taking everything and leaving nothing, but the need to care for
our people requires action.


It is like standing on a block of cheese and pushing off the rats with
a stick, some of the rats are quick and they keep taking a piece here
and there. These rats look like oil and gas men, some look like
environmentalists, some look like gov't officials, some look like me. I
wonder where it will all end.


rustywire