Here is another fresh story on this. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700014291/Split-decision-on-sage-grouse-may-restrict-public-lands.html

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah
On Mar 5, 2010, at 11:47 AM, Tyler Hicks wrote:

> Oh no!
>
> Tyler L. Hicks
> Ph.D. Student
> Washington State University Vancouver
>
> E-mail: tyler_hicks at wsu.edu
> Web Page: http://thingswithwings.org
>
> "We were certainly uncertain. At least, I'm pretty sure I am." -
> Modest Mouse
>
>
>
>
> > Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:18:38 -0500
> > From: ellen.paul at VERIZON.NET
> > Subject: Greater Sage-Grouse decision from Dept. of the Interior
> > To: ORNITH-L at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU
> >
> > Let the lawsuits begin....
> >
> >
> >
> > The Interior Department announced Friday that it won't list sage
> grouse
> > as endangered or threatened but will classify the bird among species
> > that are candidates for federal protection.
> >
> > By MEAD GRUVER
> >
> > Associated Press Writer
> > CHEYENNE, Wyo. ?
> >
> > The Interior Department announced Friday that it won't list sage
> grouse
> > as endangered or threatened but will classify the bird among species
> > that are candidates for federal protection.
> >
> > The finding is good news for the wind energy and oil and gas
> industries,
> > which will still face scrutiny in grouse habitat but will have more
> > leeway than if the bird were listed.
> >
> > Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a news release that listing
> is
> > warranted but precluded by higher priorities - other species that
> are in
> > greater danger.
> >
> > The finding validates years of effort by some Western states to
> map the
> > birds' sagebrush habitat and take other steps to prevent a sage
> grouse
> > listing.
> >
> > A chicken-sized, brown bird, sage grouse inhabit about half of their
> > historical range. The bird inhabits large portions of Wyoming,
> Nevada,
> > Montana, Oregon and Idaho, and smaller areas of Colorado, Utah,
> > California, Washington, South Dakota, North Dakota and western
> Canada.
> >
> > Especially in Wyoming, large areas of sage grouse habitat also are
> prime
> > spots for natural gas development that has boomed in recent years.
> In
> > Nevada, the birds are challenged by an invasive species, cheatgrass,
> > which is prone to frequent wildfires that burn up native sagebrush.
> >
> > "The sage grouse's decline reflects the extent to which open land
> in the
> > West has been developed in the last century," Salazar said in a
> release.
> > "This development has provided important benefits, but we must find
> > common sense ways of protecting, restoring, and reconnecting the
> Western
> > lands that are most important to the species' survival."
> >
> > Voluntary conservation combined with federal funding and technical
> help
> > can help those efforts, he said.
> >
> > The sage grouse finding results from a lawsuit filed in 2006 by an
> Idaho
> > group, Western Watersheds Project. A federal judge in Boise, Idaho,
> > ruled in 2007 that political pressure tainted an earlier decision
> not to
> > list the sage grouse.
> >
> > --
> > Ellen Paul
> > Executive Director
> > The Ornithological Council
> > Email: ellen.paul at verizon.net
> > "Providing Scientific Information about Birds"
> > http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET"
>
>
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