News Articles

Energy drilling may be avoided at wildlife refuge
Pueblo Chieftain, January 20, 2010
Parties in a drilling dispute at the Baca National Wildlife Refuge have outlined an interim agreement that could lead to the buyout of Lexam Explorations' mineral holdings. more..

Solitude Becomes Exhibit A in Battle Over National Parks Management
New York Times, October 8, 2009
Two environmental groups are suing the Fish and Wildlife Service to block the issuance of permits to Toronto-based Lexam Explorations Inc. that would allow for the drilling of two 14,000-foot-deep wells on the Baca refuge. Their argument hinges in part on sound monitoring data collected by the National Park Service in Great Sand Dunes, which they maintain would be ruined by the pounding hydraulics and thundering machinery of oil and gas wells. more..

Federal Court Blocks Drilling in Baca Wildlife Refuge
Crestone Eagle, October 1, 2009
U.S. District Court Judge Walker Miller on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction against Lexam Explorations, a Canadian mining company, barring it from drilling and activities related to oil and gas exploration on the 79,000-acre refuge in southwest Colorado. Walker wrote in his decision that “it is undisputed that the Refuge contains unique resources, including sensitive wetlands, habitat for a variety of wildlife and fish, aquifers that play an important role in the wetlands and in providing water for the community, clean air, and a large expanse of undeveloped land with a significant ‘sense of place’ and quiet.” more..

Baca refuge drilling decision pending
Crestone Eagle, June 1, 2009
A Federal District Court Judge heard arguments on May 20th on whether to issue a preliminary injunction on a proposal to drill two 14,000’ deep oil and gas wells on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge in the northern San Luis Valley, CO. more..

Judge halts drilling on Baca NWR
Crestone Eagle, Mar 1, 2009
As part of ongoing litigation, the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, Lexam Exploration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reached an agreement to “cease all construction activities on the Lexam Road,” “not begin construction” on access roads or well pads and to “remove all construction equipment” related to drilling on Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). more..

Baca Refuge may head back to court
Alamosa Valley Courier, Oct 24, 2008
“Back to court” was the response of environmental groups to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision this week regarding exploratory drilling on the Baca Wildlife Refuge. more...

Baca environmental decision announced
Alamosa Valley Courier, October 23, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be conducting a full environmental impact statement regarding exploratory oil and gas drilling on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. more...

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News Release
October 22, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined a Finding of No Significant Impact for the final environmental assessment of the ‘Planned Oil and Gas Exploration on Baca National Wildlife Refuge, in Saguache County, Colorado.’ more...

Records sought in drilling proposal on Colorado refuge
Associated Press, July 11, 2008
A water preservation group has filed a lawsuit seeking records on how the government handled a proposal for oil and gas exploration on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. more...

A hot-button issue: Wildlife commission to decide if draft by COGC is good for wildlife
Dave Buchanan, The Daily Sentinel April 26, 2008
The Colorado Wildlife Commission has a formidable task this week. It not only has to give a meaningful voice to the state’s wildlife in the face of rampant energy development, the commission also has to decide whether the egregious habit of using a live animal for target practice should be continued. more...

"Groups sue to stop gas drilling in HDs"
Ted Holteen, The Durango Herald January 24, 2008
Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday to prohibit the drilling of gas wells in the HD Mountains near Bayfield. more...

"For Many a Follower, Sacred Ground in Colorado."
 Finn-Olaf Jones, New York Times January 11, 2008
“TRUST an unknown future with a known God,” urges the sign in front of the Sangre de Cristo Christian Church on the outskirts of Crestone, Colo., which is close to a four-hour drive south of Denver off Highway 17. The town might seem to be in the middle of nowhere, but if you’re seeking a taste of the divine, you’ve probably come to the right place. more...

"Energy drilling ban debated for refuge"
 Matt Hildner, Pueblo Chieftain January 04, 2008
The Saguache Board of County Commissioners could impose a moratorium on applications for oil and gas drilling permits as early as next week. more...

"Officials to impose oil, gas moratorium"
 Ruth Heide, Alamosa News January 3, 2008
In a 2-1 vote on Wednesday the Saguache County Commissioners decided to prepare a resolution placing a six-month moratorium on any county permits regarding oil and gas operations or drilling activities. more...

"Environmental group resurrected"
 Ruth Heide, Alamosa Valley Courier Online January 2, 2008
An organization that was active in the 1980’s in protecting the San Luis Valley’s water is now reborn to protect another portion of the Valley’s natural resources, oil and gas. more...

"Baca refuge open for drilling?"
 Erin Emery, The Denver Post December 19, 2007
A Canadian energy exploration company plans to drill natural gas test wells on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Great Sand Dunes National Park complex. San Luis Valley residents are outraged that the 92,000-acre refuge, recently acquired by taxpayers for $33 million to protect groundwater, delicate habitats and migratory birds, could now be open to drilling. more...

"BACA NWR drilling halted by judge"
 Hew Hallock, Valley Courier Online November 30, 2007
Plans by Lexam Energy Exploration to drill two 14,000- foot wells on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge cannot proceed until the federal government completes a public review of the proposed drilling as mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act, according a ruling handed down this week by Judge Walker D. Miller of the Federal District Court in Denver. more...

"A Spiritual Community Takes Root"
 Jeffery Paine, U.S. News and World Report November 16, 2007
Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest major highway, this onetime Colorado gold-mining town seems like a most unexpected locale to find a growing religious center. But Crestone today boasts a denser concentration of high Tibetan lamas than normally would be found even in Tibet, and that's just for starters. Christian Carmelites, Islamic Sufis, Jews, Hindus, Zen Buddhists, Taoists, Shintoists, and American Indians have all moved to Crestone. more...

"Drilling health concerns debated: Testimony in Washington suggests harmful effects"
 Rifle Citizen Telegram November 8, 2007
A Colorado physician called government’s failure to track and study potential health impacts related to energy development “a disgrace” Wednesday, during a congressional hearing that also included testimony by two people who say they became ill after living near gas development in Garfield County. more...

"Boom in the valley"
 Jason Blevins, The Denver Post November 13, 2007
The middle-class trials that come along with that — unattainable housing prices, proliferating vacation homes, loss of community — have trickled down from the ski resorts to the nearby hamlets, a downvalley creep that pushes affordable homes further and further from the resort jobs. more...

"Disturbing the peace: Speculative drilling for gas could bring changes to the San Luis Valley"
Anthony Lane, Colorado Springs Independent October 4, 2007
A September storm pushes mist through the dining tent at Choying Dzong, a Buddhist retreat center in Colorado's San Luis Valley. To ward off the chill, Jampa Stewart, nearly halfway through an 11-day spiritual marathon with two dozen other students, wears a hooded sweatshirt over his flowing maroon robe. more...