Energy Issues

Vol. 232 No.7

There has been no end to the dialog in the trade and popular press about the impact on oil and gas operations in West Texas likely to result from adding the sand dune lizard to the endangered species list. (See the regional report on the Permian basin, page 64.) Hands have been wrung and accusations flung. To be sure, should the small reptile be listed as endangered, some oil and gas activity in West Texas will cease. So it is serious.

Before adding my commentary to the din, I decided to look at the other side of the issue. Was the lizard truly endangered, I wondered, and who might accurately answer that question? Scheduled to visit my family in West Texas anyway, I decided to visit the lizard’s habitat personally and see for myself. I headed for the shinnery oak forest in far West Texas. Some say this is the largest oak forest in the world, or at least in the US. You would not know that. The shinnery oaks, stretching for miles in all directions (and extending into Oklahoma and New Mexico) are seldom more than two feet tall and, from a distance, look more like stunted shrubs than mature oak trees. This is the sand dune lizard’s habitat.

Heading out of Odessa early in the morning to avoid the scorching summer heat, I made it into the forest in about 40 minutes. Pulling off the road, I stepped onto the sandy floor of the forest. Two steps later a small voice said, “Hey, watch your step, buddy.”

Looking down, my eyes fell on a small reptile beside my boot, about four inches long, pinkish-brown in color and with lightly defined stripes.

“Sorry,” I said. “I did not see you down there.”

“No worry,” he said. “I have had closer calls.”

Warming to the conversation, and not a little amazed that I was talking to a lizard, I asked if there were any sand dune lizards about.

“What do you think I am, an elk?” he replied.

“So, you are a sand dune lizard,” I ventured.

“One and the same,” he replied.

“Mind if I ask you some questions?” said I.

“Shoot.”

“There is talk of adding sand dune lizards to the endangered species list. Are sand dune lizards endangered?”

“Depends on who you talk to. Some say sand dune lizards—we prefer ‘SDLs,’ by the way—are endangered. Some of my family has been wiped out. I have had some close calls myself. Lost a tail to a truck tire a few months back. But none of that is what I would call game ending for us. We are lizards, you know, and tend to do things like crossing the road without looking for traffic or following a juicy bug onto a drilling location.”

“So, oil and gas operations are taking their toll on your group?” I asked.

“They take a small toll,” he said. “But the real threat is to our habitat, this magnificent forest that you see. [The oaks must have looked much taller from his perspective.] If we can’t live here, we cease to exist. When it comes to destroying our habitat, the oil and gas industry is no match for the ranching industry. Oil and gas is a nuisance, but the livestock industry is a bigger threat.” Totally absorbed, I asked him to continue.

“Take a look around you. See much grass?” I shook my head.

“Of course not. In the best of times this is a dry place. Seasonal rains may give a bit of relief and encourage the growth of forage grass, but, for large parts of the year, grass is in short supply or non-existent. This is cattle country. Cattle prefer grass, but when it is not available, they eat the vegetation from the shinnery oaks in the forest. And that is bad because it poisons them. At best, they get real sick and, at worst, they die. You can bet the ranchers don’t like that, so they fight back by practicing ‘herbicide management’ on shinnery oak. They have also tried shredding and burning the oaks.

“I don’t know that they are going to win the battle, or even make much of a long-term dent in the oak population. These oaks are hardy, with really deep roots. And I don’t blame them; it is their land and their livelihood. I would do the same. But, if you are rating threats to SDLs, this is the highest. This year may be a real problem because we are in the throes of the worst drought in recorded history here in Texas. You can imagine how much grass is around. So we will just have to wait and see.” With that, the lizard went silent.

“Thanks for the clarification,” I said.

“Glad to be of help,” he replied. “Now you had better get out of this sun. You are starting to look like a drip irrigation system.”

I took a few short steps back to the car, cranked the ignition and turned on the AC. While I was cooling off, I had time to reflect. The oil and gas industry has been out here a long time, and there have been long periods of heightened activity. The lizard is still here, having survived it all. Ranching has been here for a long time also. Despite their efforts to clear parts of the forest, the oaks survive, and with them, apparently, the lizard. So why all this sudden concern about the lizard?

Could it be that there are certain individuals and groups, including those within government, that would like to see the oil and gas industry dead and gone? I am just wondering, that’s all.

Now, about that conversation with the lizard. It may have been the heat. I hadn’t been drinking, and to my knowledge I’ve never had any out-of-body experiences. But I swear that lizard could talk. And he made good sense.