Ranchers cheer sage grouse decision

Oregon ranchers reacted with jubilation Tuesday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision not to list the sage grouse under the federal Endangered Species Act. “It would have been the equal of the spotted owl and what it did to the logging industry,” said Bill Wilber, who ranches near Burns and is chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association’s wildlife committee. Even with the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision not to list the sage grouse, Wilber, of the cattlemen’s group, said ranchers cannot take “the foot off the pedal” when it comes to efforts to conserve the bird’s habitat . “We can’t let up,” he said...more