Blm com gas industry oil - Process - Oil and Gas Industry Press

BLM sage-grouse guidance ruffles some enviro feathers

22.05.12

Reactions from conservation groups both nationally and on the ground in Colorado have been mixed regarding this week’s U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) guidance for the preservation of habitat for the greater sage grouse.

The size of small chickens, the wild, mostly ground-bound birds are found on up to 47 million acres of federal land managed by the BLM in 10 western states, including Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Scientists say the bird is a key indicator species, but that populations have declined by up to 90 percent over the last century because of energy development, mining, grazing, residential development and invasive species of weeds in sagebrush country.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2010 recommended the sage grouse for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but the bird was essentially relegated to regulatory limbo when the agency declared that other species are higher priorities. But in September a federal judge approved a settlement with environmental groups requiring listing decisions on 253 species within five years.

Source: The Colorado Independent