Wyo. Gov. wants feds to reverse sage grouse status

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead wants the federal government to flip the status of the sage grouse so it is not a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Mead last week co-sponsored a resolution adopted by Western Governors’ Association that says states’ own conservation plans should lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to presume Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing “is not warranted” for the dandyishly plumed bird. Today, the federal agency says the grouse is a “candidate” species that is warranted for protection under the act but “precluded” because of other priorities and funding. The resolution Mead and other governors endorsed calls for “all reasonable management efforts” to save the grouse and anticipates the federal government still playing a role. Federal agencies would review programs, consult with states and ultimately endorse their plans, according to the resolution about “Species of concern and candidate species.” The governors’ latest action underscores the focused attention being paid to sage grouse as Fish and Wildlife prepares to meet a September 2015 legal deadline on whether to put the bird under federal protection...“I am nervous,” Sommers said, “not so much for my private land. It’s more about what regulations the Fish and Wildlife Service will make on federal land agencies with regard to grazing.” In coming weeks, Sommers’ cattle will mosey upriver as part of the historic Green River Drift, a cattle drive that involves thousands of head. Each year they trail from Sublette ranches to BLM and Forest Service land near Union Pass. “I’m optimistic if the Fish and Wildlife Service lists [the grouse], they will manage it in a way that doesn’t upset the Western U.S.,” Sommers said. “You don’t want to wreck every ranch. It wouldn’t make any sense for the bird.” Sommers’ jitters are reflected state-wide, as witnessed by a 2012 study for Sublette County of what would happen to ranchers should the BLM impose grazing restrictions sought by some conservationists. It estimated a loss of about 300 jobs and up to $27 million annually in Sublette County alone. “Most likely ranch land would be divided into smaller sections which is detrimental to wildlife habitat as well as the ranching customs of Sublette County,” the study said...more