Castle Wilderness

Unmitigated Petroleum Exploration

In 1957 the first successful natural gas well in the Waterton gas field was drilled just outside the boundary of the Castle Wilderness. Since then, more than 50 wells have been drilled within the Castle, with more to come.

Although the wells appear as small dots on a map, the cumulative surface disturbances caused by the well pads, the associated pipeline infrastructure and new access roads are significant. As with logging, it is not just the extractive activity itself, but also the opening up of the land to unrestricted motorized access that cuts deep into the wilderness and which displaces wildlife from their natural habitat.

In the state of Montana, less than 360 kilometres from the Waterton gas field, lies the Rocky Mountain Front—a stretch of land with similar geology and potential natural gas exploitation. Lewis and Clark National Forest supervisor Gloria Flora put much of Montana’s Rocky Mountains region off-limits to energy exploration in 1997, citing the area’s value of place. She made the decision after touring the Waterton gas field and witnessing first hand the degradation of the Castle Wilderness caused by industrial activities.

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