Deal made to help sage grouse in West

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior are teaming up to help out the greater sage grouse. An agreement signed Tuesday by the two departments calls for the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work together with states and landowners to protect the chicken-size bird and its habitat. As an example, ranchers could keep cattle from grazing sage grouse areas during the bird’s breeding times. There will be monetary incentives to conserve the bird as well. About $16 million will be available this fiscal year that landowners could use to reduce threats to the birds, such as disease and invasive species, or to preserve habitat. Alan Clark, assistant director for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said Tuesday he hopes the federal government will work with land managers, states and private interests to better protect the birds. Clark said a key is to assure landowners that they will not be penalized or hurt if they take measures to protect sage grouse on their land...more