Left Hand Valley Courier - All Local, All The Time

A local anti-fracking group, born out of the Heatherwood neighborhood in Gunbarrel, is reaching out with a new name to join with the greater Gunbarrel and Niwot communities.

Formerly known as Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free, the citizen group formed in rapid response to oil and gas companies’ interest in developing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in and near the Heatherwood neighborhood in late 2018. Oil and gas companies approached the homeowners of Heatherwood en masse in November 2018 to inquire about purchasing mineral rights to drilling and fracking. This attempt occurred shortly after the Colorado Proposition 112 failed to pass in a statewide vote, which would have legislated an increased distance of fracking operations from public areas.

The leadership of the citizen group soon realized that the group’s purpose and goals were greater than simply protecting the Heatherwood neighborhood, and decided to change their name to the The Lookout Alliance with the slogan: Protecting the health, safety and welfare of our community. Their goal is to stand together with the communities of Niwot and Gunbarrel to provide education and opportunities for action in the fight against planned oil and gas exploration and drilling.

According to a press release from The Lookout Alliance, the named was changed to “reflect an understanding of the shared interests and vulnerabilities of our neighboring communities in Heatherwood, Gunbarrel, and Niwot. Together we will be better positioned to educate ourselves and to protect our air, water, health and property values in the face of planned oil and gas exploration and development. We will work to build broad support throughout our local area and to work in close cooperation with other Boulder and statewide organizations.”

The group is currently in the process of becoming a registered nonprofit organization. They can be found on Facebook as The Lookout Alliance.