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While the nation’s economy slows, much of the West still booms. The West currently is the fastest-growing region of the United States. While that growth is beneficial to economies of western states, the rapid influx of people also creates problems: the demand for more space and more energy, among other things. In Wyoming and other western states, increased real estate development and the ever-expanding energy industry put tremendous stress on wildlife. Wyoming’s Gov. Dave Freudenthal passed the gavel last week after a successful run as chairman of the Western Governors’ Association. The group, made up of the leaders of 19 western states and three U.S. flag-flying islands, recognizes the critical need to find the appropriate balance between development and the protection of wildlife habitat. The association has, for several years, sought to learn more about wildlife habitat and migration corridors in the West — and to identify ways to minimize the impact of population growth and the energy industry, while recognizing that these things make up the lifeblood of many western states. At last week’s annual Western Governors’ Association conference, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne pledged $1 million to help keep open a crucial pronghorn migration corridor in western Wyoming. It is the same corridor migrating antelope have used for 6,000 years, and it’s crucial to their survival. This pledge, coupled with proposed restrictions on oil and gas exploration in sage-grouse habitat, is proof that the federal government is coming on board. The solid push by the Western Governors to effect federal policy on wildlife protection demonstrates the increasing strength and influence of the Wild West.
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