Hunters, Anglers, Community Leaders Speak out Against Irresponsible Energy Development:Fish and Game Director and former head of NM Oil and Gas Association to speak out against drilling in Valle Vidal

NEWS ADVISORY   

For Immediate Release -- August 16, 2005
Attention: Assignment/Environment/Outdoor Editor
Contact:  Chris Hunt, 208/406-9106, chunt@tu.org [1]

Hunters, Anglers, Community Leaders Speak out Against Irresponsible Energy Development:
Fish and Game Director and former head of NM Oil and Gas Association to speak out against drilling in Valle Vidal

Teleconference set for Thursday, Aug. 18, 10 a.m. Mountain TimeConservation organization Trout Unlimited is hosting a teleconference on Thursday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. (MDT) to discuss threats to New Mexico’s Valle Vidal – the “Yellowstone of the Southern Rockies.”

The Valle Vidal in northern New Mexico is a pristine wilderness, home to some of the largest trophy bull elk in North America and prime habitat for native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. These and other fish and wildlife values in the Valle Vidal are compromised by a proposal to develop coal-bed methane. Drilling for coal-bed methane requires the extraction of water to access trapped gas seams. The effects on fish, wildlife and water resources from the network of roads, pipelines, and other associated infrastructure haves deeply alarmed hunters and anglers, fish and wildlife professionals, and local businessmen.  

Thursday’s call will feature:

Bruce Thompson, director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish;
Gary Fonay, past president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association;
Joe Torres, President of the Valle Vidal Grazing Association;
Ron Schmeits, President of the New Mexico Bankers Association;
Oscar Simpson, Executive Director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, and
Bill Schudlich of Trout Unlimited

Members of the media will have unfettered access to these important sources on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m., via a teleconference sponsored by Trout Unlimited and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.

To participate in the conference call, dial (800) 700-7414. Once connected, tell the operator you are participating in the Trout Unlimited conference call and give them this ID number: 793237.

Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to the protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.