Editor:

Recently, after reading the "Drawing boundaries" article (Oct. 26), my attention has been drawn to the activity of coal-bed methane.

Coal-bed methane has hit Wyoming hard in the last couple of years, but as the amount of resources dwindles quickly, the methane companies have a hard time maintaining work that once flourished; the companies in Buffalo all compete for the remaining resources. Now the companies are scavenging for any resources available, even when the land serves a meaningful purpose for other activity.

Maintenance of the long-term habitat for the prairie elk should be the higher priority. The elk herd that remains in the Fortification Creek area already ranges in low numbers; therefore, invading their surrounding environment abruptly for methane purposes isn't worthwhile. As methane companies begin drilling for the material, they build many different roads and drills. This disrupts the natural habitat of all wildlife in the surrounding area, which eventually creates a negative effect on the elk herd.

Along with the elk, many other animals thrive in the area. Conserving the land for the protection of these animals needs to be a higher concern than the coal-bed methane in the Fortification Creek area.

KRISTEN KEELINE, Buffalo