Issues USDA grants $40 million to rangers for sage grouse restoration. According to a press release from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week, the department is providing $40 million to ranchers and stakeholders in the greater sage-grouse’s [...]
Issues IPAA voices concerns on proposed critical habitat changes. The Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering a new regulation that would alter how critical habitat is designated. If the proposed rule is adopted, the Service would have expanded authority [...]
IPAA’s Dan Naatz in the Casper Star Tribune: When used appropriately, critical habitat designation helps ensure that important areas where endangered or threatened species reside are not destroyed or adversely modified. Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently proposed new regulations [...]
Issues IPAA submits comments on rusty patched bumble bee. This week, IPAA and the American Petroleum Institute (API) submitted joint comments on the rusty patched bumble bee. As IPAA has noted before, in January 2013 the Xerces Society and partners [...]
NATIONAL Squirrel removed from endangered list. The Hill. A mid-Atlantic squirrel species that was one of the first animals placed on the endangered species list no longer needs federal protection, officials ruled Friday. The Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, native to [...]
Issues WAFWA urges companies enroll in lesser prairie chicken conservation programs. This week, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) released a statement, urging oil and natural gas companies to enroll leases and projects into voluntary programs, known [...]
Issues Sagebrush restoration guide released. This week, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released the first of three restoration guides for sagebrush habitat in the western United States, with a focus on restoring habitat for the greater sage-grouse. The guide details [...]
Issues Litigation surrounding greater sage-grouse land use plans. Legal challenges continue to surround the Administration’s federal land use plans for the greater sage-grouse. The amended land use plan, announced in September to support conservation of the grouse, is meant to [...]