Lesser prairie chicken listing opposition continues by NM County Commissioners

Local leaders don’t think federal exemptions for farmers is a consolation prize from the threatened listing of the lesser prairie chicken. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that farmers, ranchers and landowners implementing Farm Service Agency Conser-vation Reserve Program practices intended to protect and increase the chicken populations will not be subject to additional regulations from the threatened listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. But Roosevelt and Curry County commissioners say that’s not reason enough to put their picket signs down. The commissioners represent counties and landowners who oppose the listing. Their concern is it will result in regulations created to protect the bird that would hinder or shut down their operations. The listing of the lesser prairie chicken, a bird native to New Mexico and four other states and known for its rare mating rituals, was made in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March. Roosevelt County Commissioner Kendell Buzard said not all farmers have CRP land or are signed up with other conservation agreements. He feels it’s necessary to continue to oppose the listing. He added that a good portion of the county’s tax revenue comes from energy industries and ranchers. “Management of conservation is best left to the county and the state…and not the (federal) government,” Buzard said. “We went to great lengths to set aside habitat to benefit this species and I think it will work if it’s given time.” Roosevelt County ranch manager Willard Heck said the whole point of conservation agreements were to make people exempt from further regulation. He thinks a lot of ag producers in the area are still weary about how the programs work.  Curry County Commissioner Wendell Bostwick however refuses to concede to the listing because he said history has shown that it will only get worse for farmers and the energy industry. “They tell us all these good things but for some reason it ends up bad,” Bostwick said. Bostwick said environmentalist groups have intentions of petitioning to list the bird as endangered. He used the spotted owl as an example of what could go wrong because it was listed as endangered and he said the lumber industry in the state perished as a result. “The (conservation agreements) go away if it becomes endangered,” Bostwick said. “They’ll start chipping away until there’s no more.”...more