 |
Contact: |
Dawson Geophysical Company Receives Restore New Mexico Award
Santa Fe – Dawson Geophysical Company was presented a Restore New Mexico award today by BLM-New Mexico Associate State Director Jesse Juen at this year’s annual meeting of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.
The award is given to partners who go above and beyond responsible business and environmental practices in working with the Bureau of Land Management, the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD), and other partners to restore grasslands and other landscapes in southeastern New Mexico. For the energy industry, the award is given once a year at the Oil and Gas Association’s annual meeting.
Dawson Geophysical has contributed $50,000 to the NMACD to help fund grassland restoration and oilfield reclamation efforts near Carlsbad. The BLM, NMACD and other partners have restored over 750,000 acres of grasslands, woodlands and riparian areas on federal, state and private lands throughout the state since 2005. See BLM’s website for more information: www.blm.gov/nm -- click on ‘Restore New Mexico.’
In addition, Dawson is working with Eddy and Lea Counties to control noxious weeds.
The company voluntarily contributed more than $50,000 to this effort. Dawson routinely treats weeds on its projects, and when it’s restoring the impacts of seismic project work, it will restore and reseed other, nearby areas in need of this work even though it did not create those impacts.
The company uses a variety of other best management practices (both BLM’s and its own) to limit environmental impacts. In the field, Dawson uses ‘echelon patterns’ (nonlinear, v-shaped patterns) when doing seismic work to help preclude potential establishment of new roads or ways by other users of public lands. It also reduces noise associated with its operations to benefit wildlife. These actions limit disruption to sensitive species such as lesser prairie-chickens.
Dawson uses specialized equipment to further reduce the impacts of its work. The company uses specialized tires on Vibroseis and Utility all Terrain Vehicles to reduce the footprint from its equipment and to reduce soil compaction.
Dawson also holds on-site meetings with landowners and other affected parties before starting work in the field. The company informs people about its projects and their scope of work, including anticipated impacts and timing. It then works to identify landowner concerns and environmental conditions so it can adapt projects to minimize impacts.
In addition, the company modifies or reschedules field work to avoid damaging the landscape. Dawson doesn’t do field work after major rain events. When conditions are dry it routinely brings water trucks to maintain and protect roads and ways, without reminders or other notification from BLM.
“Dawson Geophysical consistently goes above and beyond all requirements we place
on them, to proactively address environmental issues involved with its work,” said Juen. “The company is a good neighbor; it demonstrates a strong environmental ethic by quickly reclaiming and restoring the impacts of its work in the field and contributing to other conservation efforts in southeastern New Mexico.”
“Dawson is a great company to work with,” added Jim Stovall, manager of the BLM’s Carlsbad Field Office. “They work closely with us to minimize and reclaim the impacts of their work, and they never leave trash or ancillary debris on their work sites. Dawson is a strong member of our community.”
-BLM-
 |