12. Thompson Creek Roadless Area

The Thompson Creek section of the proposed Clear Fork Divide Wilderness area is part of a larger network of roadless land that connects the Elk Range to Grand and Battlement Mesa in Colorado. In addition to the largest stand of old-growth spruce and fir forest in the White River National Forest, this area contains part of what is thought to be the largest aspen forest in the world. While the thick forests have always made this an area attractive for timber extraction, the gravest threat to the Thompson Creek section is posed by oil and gas development.

Much of the backcountry west of the Crystal River and mostly north of McClure Pass has already been leased for natural gas drilling. A company that owns leases in Thompson Creek is currently beginning new production near Paonia, Colorado and has submitted a request to the United States Forest Service to drill a well on the south side of McClure Pass.

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