Angst over sage grouse decision deepens as deadline looms

The concern over a possible endangered species listing for the greater sage grouse in 11 states is deepening in anticipation of a Sept. 30 agency decision, with Utah officials urging that state plans be allowed to prove their conservation successes. Protecting the greater sage grouse and bolstering its West-wide range lies at the heart of what all sides say is an unprecedented effort to stave off threats to the chicken-size bird, which has seen the majority of its habitat ruined from a variety of problems including wildfire and the onslaught of invasive species. In a discussion with the Deseret News and KSL editorial boards this month, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell called the range-wide conservation effort "epic." "It is the biggest, most comprehensive collaborative conservation effort to ever take place in the United States in terms of its complexity, size and potential impact," she said. "I think there has been epic cooperation from all the states through this process." But Utah's top wildlife and land management authorities say that collaboration began to break down a year ago when the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service abruptly sought "more" restrictions in plans designed to manage and protect bird populations. "Negotiations have broken down," said Kathleen Clarke, director of the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office. Clarke said the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service plans for Utah and the other Western states go too far and aim to protect habitat that is already compromised or "marginal" for grouse populations. "The plans are not comforting," she said.  Mike Styler, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said species improve through active management of habitat, not through regulation. "Any wildlife species will be better taken care of under state management rather than federal management," he said...more