Years hence, after the natural gas drilling is done and most of the workers have long since departed, something will remain of Wamsutter.

Lisa Colson, with the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, Wamsutter Community Development, spends a lot of time thinking about just what.

Colson says there's a stable population base of permanent residents, and under the right conditions, that will grow.

"It's chicken and the egg like crazy," she said.

The town needs a grocery store and bank and other amenities at the same time it needs permanent work-force housing so people will begin to stick and actually require such additional services.

"Just getting somebody to land can be a problem," she said.

In 2005, BP America Production Co. announced it would spend $2.2 billion to double its production in the Wamsutter gas field in southwestern Wyoming. A multiyear drilling program is aimed at both oil and gas recovery.

In Wamsutter, as elsewhere in the state, the energy boom relies heavily on legions of workers gathered from across the nation. And their numbers are growing.

Sylvia Jones, senior research analyst for the Wyoming Department of Employment, reported in "Wyoming Labor Force Trends" that in 2006 nonresidents made up 21.8 percent of the working population of the state, compared with 15 percent in 2004.

Jones says much of the increase has come in the natural resources and mining (including oil and gas) and construction sectors, which have been among the fastest-growing and highest-paid employment segments in recent years.

She points out that between 2004 and 2006, overall employment in natural resources and mining grew by 9,185, or 30.2 percent. Nearly 60 percent, or 5,490, of the new workers were nonresidents.

Many of Wamsutter's energy workers spend a week or two on the job, followed by extended periods away.

"We do know and are hearing from a lot of these people who are flying back to Kentucky and Tennessee or Louisiana if they did have affordable work-force housing here, they would move their families. They're spending the equivalent of a home mortgage each month on air fare," Colson said.

And it isn't just out-of-state travel. Many workers commute from towns elsewhere in Wyoming.

Relocating for a temporary job associated with some phase of an energy or construction project isn't practical. But Colson said drilling around Wamsutter is expected to continue for years, and there will be long-term employment to maintain production - all of which bodes well for community stability.

From a planning perspective, Colson hopes to see more permanent housing, rather than just a proliferation of man camps and RV spaces: "But at the same time, there is going to have to be some rentals for the large turnover than just comes with the industry."

"We're trying to be very conservative in our growth factors," Colson said. "We do know we have a sustainable core community here."

Two subdivisions are in the works, which can accommodate about 60 structures.

Colson estimates the population of Wamsutter at 850, of which 500 represents the "core" group.

There are also several man camps in the area, the largest of which is run by ESS. In all, Colson thinks about 1,500 people are in the area at any given time.

Encouraging permanence

Wamsutter resident Verne Waldner has seen his share of short-term workers.

"There was a boom back in the '60s, and then it dropped, and then there was a boom in the '70s, and it dropped in the '80s, and then in the beginning of the '90s was the boom and it's still going," he said.

Waldner has been around Wamsutter since 1956, arriving as a telegraph operator for the Union Pacific Railroad. He has operated a gasoline station in town and rented trailer spaces to energy workers. He has also served on the town council, trying to figure out what utilities to install and when to install them.

"Everybody tells you, 'Oh, this boom is going to stay.' Well, I look back at two others, and they all left. Then you look at Jeffrey City that had a great big town and high school and everything up there, and look at what happened to it. Uranium quit, and they just folded up. And Hanna, just the same way," he said.

"People don't want to purchase a house out here," he added. "They'd a lot sooner rent. Because they can hook on their trailer, or rent a trailer or whatever, and they're gone."

He said building a house might cost a family $200,000. "It's hard for workers to buy when there's no security to it."

Still, Waldner is confident Wamsutter will survive, not matter what happens. Even if a slowdown comes, there will be permanent employees to tend the pipelines and compressor stations.

Bill Hippe, another longtime resident, said despite the unsettled work force, the community has maintained a remarkable degree of cohesion.

"Just because they don't have their primary residence here doesn't mean they're not active in the community," he said.

Some nonresidents participate in things like emergency medical services and the fire department.

At the same time, nonresident workers create funding challenges. Hippe said Wamsutter must provide basic services for everyone, but state revenue distribution formulas are based on population, and nonresident workers are not included in such calculations.

Hippe thinks the town should try to become more appealing to encourage permanence.

"Our quality of life has been put on the back burner just taking care of people's basic needs," he said.

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@casperstartribune.net.