Yesterday, we blogged about how Colorado's black-footed ferret habitat was going on the gas and oil auction block. The already struggling population probably would have been further damaged by any drilling. The media started to pick up the story. After all, whether you give a wit about ferrets or not, you have to agree that it doesn't make much sense to spend years and thousands of dollars reintroducing the little guys, only to ruin their habitat.
The energy companies must have decided that the bad PR of being involved in such a snafu wasn't worth the gas under the ferrets' Wolf Creek reintroduction area, because, according to the BLM, no one bid on most of the ferret parcels.
Here's a release from the BLM; we'll see if we can find out more soon.
DENVERToday the BLM Colorado State Office sold 148 parcels (of 171 offered) at its quarterly oil and gas lease sale, or about 154,903 acres (out of the approximate 192,334 acres of land offered) earning $6,827,682 in proceeds.
Many of the parcels offered within the Wolf Creek Management Area where the black-footed ferret is being re-introduced through a partnership with the BLM, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife did not receive bids.
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