Orphaned Wells in the USA
0 Million
Orphaned Wells We Plugged
Over 0
We Plugged Wells in So Far
0 States
Stopped Metric Tonnes of CO2e
+ 0 Million

FOUNDED IN 2019

2019

July 25, 2019
Foundation Conceived & Registered

Bozeman, MT · Curtis & Stacey Shuck establish WDF as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

2020

APRIL 22, 2020
First Well Plugged — Big West Anderson #3

Toole County, MT · Earth Day · 6,600+ MTCO₂e stopped forever

2020

2021

SEPTEMBER 2021
First East Coast Well — Russell M. Clark Estate #11

McKean County, PA · Late-1800s legacy well · Seneca Resources

2021
Organized Across 10 States

WV · NY · OH · KS · TX · LA · CO · WY · CA · PA — national footprint

2022

JANUARY 2022
First Louisiana Well — Fenner #2

Caddo Parish, LA · Five Bayous Project · 100+ wells in this habitat

APRIL 2022
First Ohio Well — Our Lady of Angels Church #1

Cleveland, OH · 1908 legacy well above Rocky River · Idled since the 1950s beneath Franciscan Village senior housing · Plugging permit issued April 8, 2022

2022
First Washington Project — Barlow #001

Washington Coast · Oil exploration legacy from the late 1800s

2022
First Texas Project — Santa Rosa Ranch

Texas · WDF formally enters the Lone Star State

2022

2023

APRIL 2023
First New Mexico Well — L-Bar Ranch #001

New Mexico · With NM Dept. of Game & Fish and Trust for Public Land

JUNE 7, 2023
USGS Technical Assistance Agreement

National · WDF’s emissions data recognized as most comprehensive in the US

JUNE 8, 2023
Carbon Wildcat Video Series Launches

Field, USA · Curtis Shuck brings real-time transparency to well plugging

AUGUST 19, 2023
Smithsonian Channel — "How Did They Fix That?"

National television · WDF featured in cross-country orphan well mission

NOVEMBER 2023
QMS Certification Program Launched

National · Training a qualified workforce for methane measurement at scale

2024

JANUARY 2024
850,000+ Metric Tons of Methane Reduced in 2023

Annual impact report · A landmark year for emissions eliminated

FEBRUARY 12, 2024
First California Project — Santa Barbara County

Orcutt & Santa Maria, CA · First awarded West Coast project

DECEMBER 10, 2024
High-Integrity Carbon Credits Go to Market

National · Blue Ribbon Climate Benefit Units™ at $25 / metric ton CO₂e

2024

2025

JANUARY 14, 2025
Landmark USFWS Agreement — 110+ Wells

Deep Fork & Sequoyah (OK) · Hailstone (MT) · Baskett Slough (OR)

MARCH 2025
First Oklahoma Well — WDF's 50th Nationally

Deep Fork NWR, Okmulgee County, OK · Dual milestone with USFWS

2025
First Oregon Project — Baskett Slough NWR

Oregon · WDF enters the Pacific Northwest under USFWS collaboration

JULY 8, 2025
Okmulgee Field Office Opens

114 W. 7th St., Okmulgee, OK · Ribbon-cutting with Chamber of Commerce

2025
Allderdice High School Funds Well Plug — 2624 W. 25th St.

Pittsburgh, PA · Student-led WDF club raises funds to plug orphan well in their community

2025
8 Wells Plugged Across Pennsylvania

Northeast & Southwest PA · 4 wells each region · 3 aboveground tanks & infrastructure decommissioned at 2 sites

SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
Raytown South High School Emergency Response

Kansas City metro · Rapid mobilization to protect students and community

OCTOBER 2025
WDF Marine Division Established

National · Expanding the mission to underwater and nearshore orphan wells

NOVEMBER 2025
"Plugger" Adopted — Canine Team Member

Okmulgee, OK · WDF’s four-legged field ambassador joins the mission

LATE 2025
Well Intel Platform — Commercial Release

National · Commercial launch of Well Intel remote monitoring platform in partnership with Heath · Real-time orphan well tracking at scale

2026

MARCH 17, 2026
Peer-Reviewed Study on Orphan Well Methane

National · WDF field data advances global scientific understanding

MARCH 25, 2026
30 Wells in Deep Fork — One-Year Milestone

Deep Fork NWR, Okmulgee County, OK · Largest wildlife refuge restoration of its kind

2026

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