Issues

Gunnison Sage Grouse Deadline Quickly Approaching. On October 24th,  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sent its decision on whether to list the Gunnison sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

 

The grouse, whose habitat overlies parts of Colorado and Utah, was originally considered for endangered status following a mega-settlement agreed to by FWS, Center for Biological Diversity, and Wildearth Guardians. In May 2014, however, FWS announced it would instead consider a threatened listing “due to “new information received during the public comment period and peer review process.” FWS has until November 12, 2014 to announce their final decision.

 

Concerns Grow Over Greater Sage Grouse. The proposed federal listing of the Greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) continues to make headlines across the bird’s 11 state range, with many stakeholders increasingly concerned a federal listing could impact both existing conservation efforts for the grouse and economic activity in the region.

 

  • Conservation Concerns. To date, state contributions make up an estimated 21 percent of annual sage grouse conservation funds. Many fear, however, that a federal listing will reduce state and local financial commitments. Audubon Wyoming director Brian Rutledge recently noted that a federal listing “would certainly reduce the investment in the grouse,” while former director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife Ken Mayer highlighted “when a species gets listed, people start walking away.”

 

  • Economic Concerns. Many stakeholders are also concerned a federal listing could have a negative impact on the regional economy. In Wyoming, an article in the Wyoming Law Review estimates just how large this impact could be, both on the state’s economy and on one of its largest industries: The oil and gas sector.

 

According to the article, a large portion of Wyoming’s oil and gas industry would be impacted by a federal listing, impacting some “core” areas of the state more than others. According to the article, “Within just these core areas, a decision listing the sage grouse and stopping energy activity could translate into over 1,600 jobs lost directly related to oil and gas and nearly 4,000 total jobs lost related to the industry. The state could lose $135 million  in direct labor income and over $255 million in total labor income.” The article, by attorney David Willms and economist Anne Alexander, also notes Wyoming could lose $30 million in severance tax revenues and $3.6 million in state sales and use taxes annually if a federal listing moves forward.

 

During a recent trip to Wyoming, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe emphasized the department’s commitment to supporting the existing conservation measures in place for the grouse, noting “it is our hope we can conserve the sage grouse such that listing of the sage grouse under the Endangered species Act will not be necessary.”  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has until September 2015 to finalize its decision.

In the News

 

Snapping turtles may get protection from feds. The Hill. Snapping turtles would be protected under new federal rules proposed Wednesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering placing common snapping turtles, along with Florida softshell turtles, smooth softshell turtles and spiny softshell turtles, on an international endangered species list. These are all freshwater turtles.

Group wants environmental reviews ahead of grazing. Associated Press. A conservation organization is requesting the U.S. Bureau of Land Management conduct environmental reviews before renewing 453 grazing permits that contain areas designated as important sage grouse habitat.

Enviro groups claim wolverines are at risk. Jackson Hole News & Guide. A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Montana charges that federal wildlife managers broke the law and violated the Endangered Species Act in multiple ways when they abandoned consideration of protecting the wolverine. A 38-page complaint was issued by the law firm Earthjustice on Oct. 13 on behalf of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Greater Yellowstone Coalition and six other environmental advocacy groups.

Put African lions on threatened species list, agency says. Washington Post. The proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would make the African lion the last big cat to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. In the last two decades, lions’ numbers have fallen by 30 percent, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Two Midwest Butterflies Suffer Bee-like Declines. Courthouse News Service. Federal listing protection has been finalized for two Midwest prairie butterfly species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to dramatic population declines. The Dakota skipper has been listed as a threatened species, and the Powershiek skipperling has been listed as an endangered species under the act, according to a final rule published Friday. The rule also specifies a special 4(d) exemption for the threatened skipper.

Gov. Mead eyes congressional fix on wolf delisting. Casper Star-Tribune. Congressional action appears to offer Wyoming its best chance at regaining state management of wolves, Gov. Matt Mead said Thursday. Acting in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation groups, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson last month stripped Wyoming of wolf management authority and returned wolves to federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Molvar to discuss ways to protect sage grouse population. Sheridan Press. For Wildlife Biologist Erik Molvar, protecting Wyoming’s greater sage grouse population can be looked at like car maintenance. “It’s like you have a car in need of an oil change. You can either change the oil and save the engine or wait until the engine blows up and have an even greater expense,” Molvar said. “Ultimately, if we as a Western society in Wyoming can figure out ways to conduct our business on both public and private land in ways that are compatible with healthy wildlife populations, we can avoid the additional regulations that come along with recovering a species on the brink of extinction.”