Now that oil and gas prices have retreated from unsustainable levels, oil and gas exploration and development companies have begun to step back and assess where their prospects for future development and profit lie. Some may sell percentages of leases while others may drill. Having data in hand to make longer term decisions will be a key element for smaller oil and gas companies going forward.

There is quite a bit to be said for planning and execution. Laying ground work for a program to succeed, with each piece of the puzzle being placed for later exploitation, is one of the better ways to profit when the time is right. Not only does planning allow for maximum opportunity for profit, but for timely execution as well.

Southern Star Energy specializes in the acquisition and drilling of under-drilled oil and natural gas properties. So far this tactic has minimized the risk to the company and new technologies have made drilling processes more efficient.

Western Standard Energy (WSEG) is an exploration-stage oil firm focused on extracting crude oil and natural gas from the Bakken Formation that runs through Montana, North Dakota and Canada. The area is believed to hold some of the largest reserves of crude oil in the North America, after Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay and the oilfields of West Texas.

The Haynesville Shale is considered the fourth largest natural gas field in North America, making it an obvious attraction to numerous exploration companies. One such company with the shale on its radar is Mainland Resources (OTCBB: MNLU), a junior company engaged in the acquisition and development of leases in the Haynesville Shale.

Triangle Petroleum is an exploration company focused on emerging Canadian shale gas projects covering 584,000 gross acres in the Maritimes Basin in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The company plans to aggressively exploit their shale gas assets based on their prior experience with other shale gas assets in the Barnett and Fayetteville shale gas areas.

As commodity oil and gas prices move near their historic highs, new junior oil and gas exploration and development companies have been working to take advantage. Many of the people interested in working the oil and gas exploration and development pipeline are eager to profit but lack the capital and know-how to get the job done.

Ecosphere Technologies Inc. (ESPH.OB) is a diversified water engineering and services company primarily focused on the natural gas industry. The company provides water recycling services at the well site to provide clean water for energy companies to extract natural gas from unconventional shale plays.

Dawson Geophysical Company (DWSN), a leading provider of U.S. onshore seismic data acquisition services to oil and natural gas exploration and development companies, announced strong third quarter financial results this morning. Revenues were $84.6 million, an increase of 23% over prior year sales. Net income increased 28% to $9.7 million, or $1.27 per share.