SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013 Center Operator	Dec. 31, 2012 Operator	Dec. 31, 2011 Operator	Dec. 31, 2010
Marketable Securities [Abstract]
Unrealized gains in the marketable securities													$ 45,000	$ 159,000
Accounts Receivable [Abstract]
Bad debt expense related to multifamily housing project													0	13,000
Reserve for uncollectable receivables	0				0								0	0
Valuation of Equity Method Investment [Abstract]
Non-cash impairment charge on equity method investment													2,160,000	0	0
Equity method investment at carrying value	0												0
Oil & Gas properties [Abstract]
Unproved	7,478,000				9,169,000								7,478,000	9,169,000
Wells in progress	0				0								0	0
Proved	136,521,000				119,919,000								136,521,000	119,919,000
Oil & Gas properties	143,999,000				129,088,000								143,999,000	129,088,000
Less accumulated depreciation depletion and amortization	(57,077,000)				(43,454,000)								(57,077,000)	(43,454,000)
Net book value	86,922,000				85,634,000								86,922,000	85,634,000
Mining properties	20,739,000				20,739,000								20,739,000	20,739,000
Building, land and equipment	8,334,000				8,469,000								8,334,000	8,469,000
Less accumulated depreciation	(4,135,000)				(4,034,000)								(4,135,000)	(4,034,000)
Net book value	4,199,000				4,435,000								4,199,000	4,435,000
Net properties and equipment	111,860,000				110,808,000								111,860,000	110,808,000
Oil and Gas Properties [Abstract]
Capitalized costs excluded from amortized cost pool	7,478,000				9,200,000								7,478,000	9,200,000
Capitalized costs related to unevaluated properties included in the amortization base	0				0								0	0
Period after which costs will be added to the full cost amortization pool for properties													2 years
Percentage of discount used for future net revenue (in hundredths)													10.00%
Period for calculating unescalated average prices prior to the end of reporting period													12 months
Number of cost centers for quarterly ceiling test for oil and gas													1
Price per barrel for oil at ceiling test (in dollars per barrel)													96.78
Price for natural gas at ceiling test (dollars per MMbtu)													3.67
Proved property impairments													5,828,000	5,189,000	0
Mineral Properties [Abstract]
Costs associated with Mount Emmons beginning of year				20,739,000									20,739,000
Development costs													0	0	0	0
Costs at the end of the period	20,739,000				20,739,000								20,739,000	20,739,000
Reconciliation of total liability for asset retirement obligations [Roll Forward]
Beginning asset retirement obligation				686,000				510,000					686,000	510,000
Accretion of discount													38,000	34,000
Liabilities incurred													131,000	142,000
Liabilities settled													(43,000)	0
Ending asset retirement obligation	812,000				686,000				510,000				812,000	686,000	510,000
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale	0				17,051,000								0	17,051,000
Liabilities held for sale	0				10,022,000								0	10,022,000
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Period of payment received after date of production, minimum													30 days
Period of payment received after date of production, maximum													90 days
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of major operators													3	2	1
Assumptions [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate (in hundredths)													1.66%		1.77%
Expected lives													6 years		6 years
Expected volatility (in hundredths)													62.59%		59.64%
Expected dividend yield (in hundredths)													0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Weighted-average dilutive and anti-dilutive securities [Abstract]
Dilutive (in shares)	27,682,602	27,682,602	27,682,272	27,667,102	27,475,813	27,468,355	27,460,483	27,438,584	27,288,470	27,862,098	27,866,544	27,186,438
Shares held by the ESOP (in shares)	877,399				824,123				684,643				877,399	824,123	684,643
Stock Options [Member]
Assumptions [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate, minimum (in hundredths)														0.82%
Risk free interest rate (in hundredths)													1.66%		1.77%
Risk free interest rate, maximum (in hundredths)														1.41%
Expected lives													6 years		6 years
Expected volatility, minimum (in hundredths)														61.87%
Expected volatility (in hundredths)													62.59%		59.64%
Expected volatility, maximum (in hundredths)														63.59%
Expected dividend yield (in hundredths)													0.00%		0.00%
Weighted-average dilutive and anti-dilutive securities [Abstract]
Dilutive (in shares)													0	0	0
Anti-dilutive (in shares)													872,185,000	0	969,631,000
Statoil and Zavanna [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Credit risk, percentage (in hundredths)													38.00%	57.00%
Contango Oil & Gas [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Credit risk, percentage (in hundredths)													32.00%
NGL [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Credit risk, percentage (in hundredths)													18.00%	32.00%	74.00%
Remington Village [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale	0				15,167,000								0	15,167,000
Liabilities held for sale	0				10,022,000								0	10,022,000
Corporate Aircraft and Facilities [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale	0				1,884,000								0	1,884,000
Minimum [Member]
Assumptions [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate, minimum (in hundredths)														0.82%
Expected lives														5 years
Expected volatility, minimum (in hundredths)														61.87%
Minimum [Member] | Stock Options [Member]
Assumptions [Line Items]
Expected lives														5 years
Maximum [Member]
Assumptions [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate, maximum (in hundredths)														1.41%
Expected lives														6 years
Expected volatility, maximum (in hundredths)														63.59%
Maximum [Member] | Stock Options [Member]
Assumptions [Line Items]
Expected lives														6 years
Mt. Emmons Property [Member]
Oil & Gas properties [Abstract]
Mining properties	20,739,000				20,739,000								20,739,000	20,739,000
Mineral Properties [Abstract]
Costs associated with Mount Emmons beginning of year				20,739,000				20,739,000					20,739,000	20,739,000
Development costs													0	0
Costs at the end of the period	20,739,000				20,739,000								20,739,000	20,739,000
Mining Properties [Member]
Reconciliation of total liability for asset retirement obligations [Roll Forward]
Ending asset retirement obligation	175,000				162,000								175,000	162,000
Oil and Gas Wells [Member]
Reconciliation of total liability for asset retirement obligations [Roll Forward]
Ending asset retirement obligation	$ 637,000				$ 524,000								$ 637,000	$ 524,000
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Office Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													3 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Office Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													5 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Field Tools and Hand Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													5 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Field Tools and Hand Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													7 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Vehicles and Trucks [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													3 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Vehicles and Trucks [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													7 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Heavy Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													7 years
Machinery and Equipment [Member] | Heavy Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													10 years
Buildings and Improvements [Member] | Service Buildings [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													20 years
Buildings and Improvements [Member] | Corporate Headquarter Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives													45 years
Standard Steam Trust LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Ownership interest (in hundredths)	19.54%												19.54%