Did You Know?

  
More than 26 million acres of public lands are currently leased for oil and gas development in the West. That’s a land mass equivalent to the state of Ohio.

In 2004, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth singled out ORV use as the largest threat to public lands in the West. ORV sales grew from 5 million machines in 1972 to 36 million machines in 2002. And there are even more ORVs being ridden on our public lands today.

Colorado’s unique Roan Plateau, now threatened by oil and gas drilling, sits above about one day’s worth of natural gas and just a few minutes worth of oil at the current rate of demand, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey.

In the West, the longest hunting seasons that offer the best opportunities to bag trophy bulls and bucks are conducted in roadless backcountry hunting units. 

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are 5.5 million hunters and anglers in the West. Annually, these sportsmen and women contribute almost $13 million to the regional economy each year.