Feds laud conservation deal with private entities

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The federal government signed agreements Monday with an oil and gas company and a rancher to help protect two rare New Mexico species, deals that federal officials hope will pave the way for cooperative conservation efforts across the country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management reached agreements with Lea County rancher Chris Brininstool and Marbob Energy Corp. of Artesia. The deals are aimed at helping the lesser prairie chicken and the sand dune lizard, both candidates for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act. Brininstool and Marbob agreed to take actions to protect the species and their habitat, including modifying fences to reduce collision by prairie chickens and relocating well sites to limit habitat disturbance. In return, Brininstool and Marbob have assurances they will be able to continue using the land even if the species should be placed under ESA protection. Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett called the agreements "nationally significant," saying that until now federal wildlife managers had no legal framework to partner on conservation efforts with ranchers who have federal grazing permits or energy development companies that lease public land.