Buzz, If people put in the contracts with the well diggers to put the roads back too, then that's what the company will do, put the roads back, just put it in the contract. The contracts usually say they have to put the land back like it was, we need a contract to look at? I imagine those private landowners up there have lots of use for roads, so maybe they skip that part, its up to them. Buzz, tell me the long term effects of the renewable resources, how many elk we going to loose, how many mule deer? Here's some data that would be good to have on elk and mule deer to shed light on this. I've seen it on whitetails, but not tried to get it for elk and mule deer, till now. Maybe somebody with a new B&C book could count it up, I don't have one. Here's what the data is like.
More than half the B&C whitetails have been shot in the last 20 years, despite records for over 100 years.
Here's the charts. Look how lit up the 1980-2001 one is compared to 1830-1979.
http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/records_whitetail.asp?area=bgRecords
The good old days are right now, its a renewable resource, we renew the land, the animals. Right now is the best hunting ever.
If most Americans had one of those 80 acre pieces of property up there and a well already on it, pumping water out the cazzoo, with a road to it, they'd be in 7th heaven. Its not the end of the world for elk and mule deer and antelope. Nut, you already had too many kids, you're contributing to the problem, population explosion, not solving it. Do the right thing, not you. I like you and your family, but don't expect others to do the right thing for you and go pointing the finger at them.
Texas has trouble with the water level like you're worried about in Alaska. Here's what's happening, as I understand it at the moment, but I think they fixed it last legislative session, I'm not sure. The worry has been this.
A whole bunch of rural landowners have their water wells down, say 500 ft. A big city, that gulps down the water on people's stupid yard lawns and golf courses comes along. Instead of feeding cattle and wildlife they buy the water rights from some little ranch and then the city puts down one huge well to say 1000 ft. They pump water out the cazzoo and ship it to town for the city folks. Pretty soon all the neighbors 500 ft wells start drying up, cattle and wildlife start dieing. Major problem, eh.
I know the city shut down a guy who had an artesian well and was running a catfish farm. He basically wasted the water on a few catfish, instead of putting it to better use. I'd have to check and see what happened to protecting the rural people from the city, but I know they worked on it.
Nut, you don't water your grass do you?
How's that Elkchaser, its bigger than a little post. Somebody probably put a little one in, before I typed this after yours though. Don't sweat the little things, eh. Be happy!
I don't know if that is true or not, but if it is remotely true, than it sounds like a bad idea to me!!! Oh well, I have ranted on long enough. Just wanted to get my two cents worth in, although it looks as though it may be more than two cents!! 
sometimes when it comes to my state. I probably came off a little harsh. Sorry about that. 
I saw less quality of posts immediatly following mine on almost every post. What's with that... 
(B&C History) 
