Roan Plateau

The Roan Plateau, located in western Colorado, USA, near Rifle, contains a variety of natural resources and scenic terrain: high ridges, deep valleys, waterfalls, cutthroat trout, mountain lions, bears, rare plants -- and oil and natural gas. On September 25, 2008, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of the region through nearly cloud-free skies.

In this natural-color image, the Roan Plateau assumes shades of green, brown, and beige, and deep canyons form branching, tree-like patterns on the landscape. In this largely arid environment, irrigation enables crops to thrive, evidenced by the relative greenness of the orchards and lawns around Grand Junction, Colorado. Immediately north of Grand Junction, the land is pale beige, characteristic of a high desert. This desert landscape extends westward into Utah, as well as southeast of the city. East of Grand Junction, however, Grand Mesa (partially obscured by clouds) is well-forested with conifers.

The dramatic changes in elevation throughout the Roan Plateau provide habitat to many of the area’s wild species, which, combined with the landscape, are popular attractions for hikers, four-wheelers and wildlife enthusiasts. The plateaus’s energy reserves, however, invite exploration and drilling: existing wells produce natural gas immediately adjacent to the plateau. [ [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature5/gallery2.html "Drilling the West"] ] In 2000, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management began developing the Roan Plateau Resource Management Plan. Released in final form in early 2008, the plan allowed for recovery of natural gas from beneath the plateau while setting aside 21,034 acres (85 square kilometers) as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.

ee also

*Campaign to Save Roan Plateau
*Piceance Basin

References

* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18169 Roan Plateau, Colorado] . This aticle incorporates text from this public domain NASA webpage.

* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/roan_tmo_2008269_lrg.jpgFull-size image of Roan Plateau] , from NASA Earth Observatory.

External links

* [http://www.blm.gov/rmp/co/roanplateau/ BLM Roan Plateau Resource Management Plan and Final EIS] Accessed October 2, 2008.
* [http://www.nativeecosystems.org/campaigns/roan-plateau/ Center for Native Ecosystems: Roan Plateau] . Accessed October 2, 2008.
* [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature5/gallery2.html "Drilling the West"] , from National Geographic Magazine, July 2005. Accessed October 2, 2008.