A bill signed into law Monday that protects 387 miles of the Snake River and tributaries and 1.2 million acres in the Wyoming Range relied on an unlikely coalition of sportsmen and conservationists.

But the historic lands battle, which earned support from union laborers in southwest Wyoming, hunters across the state and conservationists around Yellowstone, isn’t over, some say.

Advocates for protecting the Wyoming Range say 44,700 acres of pristine country west of Merna still face oil and gas development. Further, river advocates say the Greys River should also receive Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protection.

“This is a huge milestone, but it is not the end of the story,” said Tim Preso, staff attorney for the Earthjustice office in Bozeman, Mont. “People cannot assume that the Wyoming Range is saved.”

Bridger-Teton National Forest officials are studying whether to allow oil and gas exploration on a leased parcel, one of several at risk in the range. Another study eyes development near the Hoback Ranches. A decision is due by summer.

“There remains this open issue of the fate of those leases,” Preso said. “The Forest Service still has to make that decision. The public still needs to make their voice heard.”

Tom Reed, a spokesman for Trout Unlimited, agreed that the 44,700 acres should receive protection.

“The 44,700 are not valid leases,” he said. “They should have never been issued.”

In 2006, the Interior Board of Land Appeals called for a re-examination of the decision to lease the controversial parcel. It cited insufficient analysis of the impacts on air quality and potential harm to the Canada lynx, an endangered species.

“The northeast gateway to the Wyoming Range should not have a bunch of development on it,” Reed said. “We feel the right thing is not to drill one single well. [The Wyoming Range] is now an area that Congress has said is too important to drill, and the 44,700 is the epicenter of that sentiment.”

Gary Amerine, a Daniel outfitter and one of the most outspoken advocates for the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, agreed the 44,700 acres of leases aren’t valid and that the land should be protected. He said he trusts Bridger-Teton National Forest to make the right decision.

“When I talk to neighbors, that is their backyard,” Amerine said. “But at the same time, I think this Forest Service process is the way to go on this.”

Bridger-Teton spokeswoman Mary Cernicek noted that Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal asked the Environmental Protection Agency to consider Sublette County an ozone “non-attainment area” after several warnings of ozone levels beyond federal standards were issued during the past two winters. She called any potential air quality impacts from development on the 44,700 acres or the Hoback Rim “absolutely an important piece of the picture.”

“We’re still going to keep working with the county and the state to make sure that our air analysis coincides with the work that they’ve been doing,” she said.

As for the Craig Thomas Snake River Headwaters Legacy Act, Jackson Hole river advocates said the Greys River in Lincoln County should also have received wild and scenic protection.

“We have to also go after the Greys River,” said Jack Dennis, owner of Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop and honorary chairman of the Campaign for the Snake Headwaters. “The river that needs to be in that bill the most is not in that bill.”

Dennis called on Lincoln County officials to explain their opposition to wild and scenic designation for the Greys. Their opposition was key to its exclusion.

“We’re going to have to get some answers,” he said.

Frank Ewing, who owns Barker-Ewing River Trips with his family, agreed that the Greys River should have been included. He was an early proponent of wild and scenic designation for the Snake River headwaters.

“It was, I think, very shortsighted to not include the Greys River,” he said. “It is a very special piece of water and worthy of being included.”

Aaron Pruzan, owner of Rendezvous River Sports, said he has faith that people in Lincoln County will see the benefits of wild and scenic designation and will want the Greys included.

“It is unfortunate that, because of misconceptions about the act, that it got shot down and removed,” he said. “In the long run, people in Lincoln County ... will want the Greys to be included.”

Cernicek would not address the Greys River specifically but said Bridger-Teton stands ready to implement protections for the 387 miles included in the bill.

“The Bridger-Teton is in a strong position to address the management plans required with official wild and scenic designation,” she said.

Because the rivers were eligible for wild and scenic status, the Forest Service already managed them as such.

Lincoln County Commissioner Kent Connelly said wild and scenic status for the Greys River isn’t needed and could jeopardize water rights.

“The Forest Service already has the ability to do everything that was in the bill,” he said. “It’s just a duplication of government.”