Issues
Sage Grouse Plans Ruffle Feathers in Montana. The potential listing of the Greater Sage Grouse in Montana has many residents concerned for both the state economy, local agricultural interests, and existing conservation measures. Dr. John Lacey, who farms and ranches near Glasgow, Montana, discussed a number of projects already in place in the state to protect the bird. As he describes, the Montana Natural Resource Conservation Service provides assistance to increase vegetative cover during nesting season on 733,872 acres of rangeland, while also working with conservation organizations to place white flags on fencing to reduce the incidence of sage grouse flying into them. From his column in the Billings Gazette:
“There is ample sage grouse habitat within national wildlife refuges, national parks, existing wilderness areas, lands owned and or managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and on lands owned by the Nature Conservancy, American Prairie Foundation, and on private lands that are administered through conservation easements. These areas are already managed under regulations that mirror the restrictive strategies being recommended for Montana’s current and historical sage grouse habitat. Therefore, sage grouse populations and trends on these lands should be analyzed and monitored before the government targets additional funds for ill-advised conservation practices, or implements regulatory restrictions across vast portions of the species range.”
Glenn Oppel, Government Relations Director at the Montana Chamber of Commerce, also expressed his concerns regarding the proposed listing of the bird, highlighting the need to combine species protection with economic development in the Independent Record. As he notes, the impacted land area includes a large portion of central and eastern Montana, an area with active mining, farming, and ranching. Mack Cole, President of Montanans for Responsible Energy Development, echoed these concerns in a column in the Flathead News:
“If the sage grouse is listed as threatened or endangered, both public and private land access and surface activity would be restricted to such a degree that it would pose a serious handicap to job creation in our state. In fact, the harsh and restrictive consequences of the sage grouse being listed would, in many instances, completely shut down resources development operations in Montana, causing a negative ripple effect for the hundreds of businesses that support them and potentially killing thousands of jobs.”
Montana’s Governor Bullock and his Sage Grouse Advisory Council are working to develop a Greater Sage Grouse habitat policy to implement prior to a decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list the bird under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2015.
Sage Grouse Remains a Closely Followed Issue Across the Western States. In addition to Montana, the potential listing of the Greater Sage Grouse continues to be a topic of concern and discussion across the Western States. In Colorado, Governor Hickenlooper referenced the management of the bird in his 2014 State of the State address. According to the Governor:
“The viability of the sage grouse has bedeviled Western states for a decade. As chair of the Western Governors’ Association, I believe we can protect the sage grouse while at the same time allowing ranches, farms and other economic activity to flourish. At our invitation, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has agreed to visit Colorado and observe mitigation efforts firsthand.”
Over in Nevada, Ralph Sacrison, Chairman of the Elko County Natural Resources Management Advisory Commission, expressed criticism and concern with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding protection of the grouse. According to his column in the Elko Daily:
“The current DEIS contains six alternatives. The baseline plan continues the Greater Sage-Grouse Interim Management Policies and Procedures — Instruction Memorandum No. 2012-044. These policies have led to mineral exploration layoffs, elimination of renewable energy projects and curtailment of natural gas exploration and development just within Elko County, to say nothing of the rest of Nevada and the 10 other states affected by these procedures.”
In Oregon, roughly 150 community members gathered for a meeting held by the BLM in Crook County, the first of a series of meetings across the area. Craig Miller, GIS specialist for Bend-based conservation group Oregon Natural Desert Association, highlighted that the BLM will have to do a “very fine dance” to find a final outcome that does not negatively impact the ranching community. In California, the California Cattlemen’s Association has also vowed its continued commitment to ensuring management of the Greater sage grouse does not come at the expense of ranchers and cattleman in the state. Some groups, however, see current measures and the BLM’s proposed plans as inadequate at protecting the grouse. In reaction to the BLM’s Wyoming sage grouse plan amendment, Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist with WildEarth Guardians, stated “the largest single failure of this BLM proposal is the lack of adequate regulatory mechanisms for all human activities to ensure the survival of greater sage-grouse.”
In the News
Can the oil industry save a threatened species? Texas tries it out. E&E News (sub req’d). Texas officials are hopeful that the arrangement, organized by Texas A&M University and the state comptroller’s office, could serve as a model of success that could influence debate over another species living in oil country — the lesser prairie chicken, found in the Texas Panhandle. Today is the deadline for groups to submit their public comments on a proposal to list that species as threatened under the ESA, and a handful of lesser prairie chicken range states are hoping to prevent such a listing with their own conservation plans.
Fish and Wildlife seeks comment for yellow-billed cuckoo as threatened. Mountain Mail. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening for 60 days, until Feb. 24, the public comment period for the proposal to list the western distinct population segment of the yellow-billed cuckoo as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The service proposed on Oct. 3 to list the bird in the western United States, Canada and Mexico. In the U.S., it is known to occur in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Alberta city, oil company seek to overturn sage grouse protection order. Globe and Mail. A southern Alberta city and an oil and gas company are asking the courts to quash a federal emergency order that protects the sage grouse. The City of Medicine Hat and LGX Oil & Gas Inc. filed an application Friday in Federal Court seeking a judicial review of the order.
Enviros Sue Canada Over Species at Risk of Enbridge Pipeline. Environment News Service. Five environmental groups are taking the Government of Canada to court today claiming that it has failed to meet its legal responsibilities under the Species at Risk Act to protect endangered wildlife threatened by the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and oil tanker route.
County coalition claims success at protecting Gunnison sage-grouse. The Daily Planet. Although 10 of 11 counties of a coalition aimed at protecting the Gunnison sage-grouse believe the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should not classify the bird as endangered, San Miguel County commissioners don’t necessarily agree.
Lesser Prairie Chicken plan touted. Portales news Tribune. The deadline is approaching for listing the rare grouse, native to New Mexico and four other states, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. In conjunction with the deadline, meetings have been held around the state to inform landowners about insurance programs for farmers if the bird were to be listed.
Garkane CEO testifies before Congress. Richfield Reaper. “Garkane and other rural electric cooperatives across the nation believe that, in this, the 40th year of the act, we must look at some type of reform to alleviate the ever escalating economic burden being placed on the backs of the few,” Albrecht said. The inflexibility of the law hit home when Garkane acquired a right of way to build a power line primarily on private property and state owned lands, according to Albrecht. He said a small portion of the line was on Bureau of Land Management property.
Deadline to comment looms on lesser prairie chicken listing. Hays Post. With the deadline to comment on the proposed listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken looming this Friday, January 10th, Representative Tim Huelskamp (KS-01) released the following statement: “In recent years, Kansas farmers, ranchers and other property owners have been severely impacted by rules and regulations emanating from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act …”
Sage grouse ruling could be a ways away. Medicine Hat News. A City-sponsored legal action to halt new environmental regulations at the Manyberries Oilfield may not be considered by the time the restrictions are set to take effect in mid-February. Filing a judicial review application does not act as an automatic stay of the order, said Kara Smyth, of the Calgary law firm of McCarthy Tetrault, which will handle the matter on behalf of the City of Medicine Hat and co-applicant LGX Oil and Gas.
