Waterbird's Nest: Wyoming company says it won't drill on battlefield

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

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http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Friday, June 6, 2008

Wyoming company says it won't drill on battlefield

By: Clair Johnson

BILLINGS, Mont. -- Plans for exploring coal-bed methane resources at Rosebud Battlefield State Park in southeastern Montana are on hold for now as the state and parties with minerals interests try to find a way to protect the historic site from energy development.

Wyoming-based Pinnacle Gas Resources Inc. and private mineral rights owners agreed in February to extend Pinnacle's lease until August 2009. Without the extension, Pinnacle would have had to begin test drilling by April to keep its lease.

None of the key parties involved wants to see minerals -- coal, oil and gas -- developed at the battlefield, but finding a solution that satisfies everyone's interests is tricky because of the split-estate ownership of the minerals and the land. In a split estate, the surface owner is different from the owner of the subsurface minerals.

In the case of Rosebud Battlefield State Park, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks owns the surface while most of the minerals are held privately.

"We'd like everybody to wear a white hat," said Chas Van Genderen, assistant administrator of FWP's Parks Division. "It gets complicated and requires some sensitivity. We're working hard."

Located off Highway 314 south of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and east of the Crow Reservation, the 3,000-acre park is well off the beaten path.

The rolling hills forested with pine trees and prairie lands are where Gen. George Crook, assisted by the Crow and Shoshone tribes, battled the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne nations on June 17, 1896. The fight on Upper Rosebud Creek was one of the largest battles of the Indian Wars and occurred eight days before the more famous Battle of the Little Bighorn about 30 miles away. Both sides claimed victory.

The site also has significant cultural and archaeological values, including a buffalo jump.

The battlefield is being considered for designation as a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Get the rest of the story here: http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2008/06/05/news/wyoming/9fb8ab2a35f473c38725745e008083f0.txt