Summit County Citizens Voice

A male sage grouse strutting in a mating ritual. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

Political manipulation by Bush appointees tainted previous decision; oil and gas drilling identified as key threats to sage-grouse habitat

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal biologists will get a rare chance for a re-do this month as they reconsider an endangered species listing for the greater sage-grouse, once common in Colorado but now threatened by habitat loss.

Watch a video of the amazing sage-grouse mating ritual here.

A previous decision to not list the emblematic western bird was voided by a judge after evidence showed that a top official in the U.S. Department of Interior manipulated scientific reports to conjure up a ruling that favored oil and gas companies looking to expand operations in sage-grouse habitat.

Here’s an excerpt from the court ruling:

“Finally, the FWS decision was tainted by the inexcusable conduct of one of its own executives. Julie MacDonald, a Deputy Assistant Secretary who was neither a scientist nor a sage-grouse expert, had a well-documented history of intervening in the listing process to ensure that the “best science” supported a decision not to list the species. Her tactics included everything from editing scientific conclusions to intimidating FWS staffers. Her extensive involvement in the sage-grouse listing decision process taints the FWS’s decision and requires a reconsideration without her involvement.”

Read the District Court ruling on denial of protection to greater sage-grouse here.

To show that the upcoming decision is based on science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — the agency responsible for making endangered species rulings — delayed its decision to include research results from as recently as 2009. The decision is expected in the next few weeks, with a Feb. 26 deadline.

The results of the most recent studies make it clear that, as suspected, Oil and gas drilling activities are disturbing sage-grouse breeding and nesting sites and leading to population declines in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and other Western states. Other threats include destruction of sagebrush habitat due to sprawl, agricultural conversion and wildfire. See a map comparing historic to  Current sage-grouse range here.

Sage-grouse have disappeared from about half of their historic range with steady population declines in Colorado and neighboring states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  has estimated that sage-grouse populations have declined between 69 and 99 percent from historic levels.

In Summit County, sage-grouse habitat is found in some of the sagebrush areas around Green Mountain Reservoir.

The birds are listed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife as a species of concern. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management list sage-grouse as a sensitive species and Utah and Wyoming have also identified sage-grouse as a species of special concern. See a map of sage-grouse range in Colorado here.

Protecting sage-grouse doesn’t mean an end to oil and gas drilling, but requires more careful management of the activities to avoid impacts in the most sensitive areas and during the critical breeding season. This link shows a blueprint for sage-grouse conservation and recovery.

Since the listing was proposed, a wide range of stakeholders, from rural landowners and local conservationists to federal land managers and elected officials, have found some common ground, agreeing that the West needs an effective plan — whether under the Endangered Species Act or another mechanism — for conserving sage-grouse and its range. See the original petition to list greater sage-grouse as endangered or threatened here.

The birds share habitat with economically important big game habitat. In northwest Colorado, where the largest and most important population of sage-grouse in the state are found, the imperiled bird shares its home with some of the largest elk and mule deer herds in North America. Biologists see the plight of the sage-grouse as a warning that balance needs to be restored to sagebrush landscapes across the West.

The Center for Native Ecoystems maintains a sage-grouse page here.

Here are a few of the links from that page:

Petition to List Greater Sage-Grouse as Endangered or Threatened
USGS early release of the Sage-Grouse Monograph (Studies in Avian Biology)
A Blueprint for Sage-Grouse Conservation & Recovery
Guidelines to Manage Sage-Grouse Populations & Their Habitats
Comments on the Draft Colorado Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan
WAFWA Greater Sage-Grouse Report
District Court Ruling on Denial of Protection to Greater Sage-Grouse
Federal Court Overturns Bush Administration’s “Not Warranted” Listing Decision for Greater Sage-Grouse
Grouse Pardon Request to President Bush

Filed under: federal government, public lands, wildlife Tagged: | Colorado wildlife, conservation, endangered species, endangered species act, Environment, Greater sage-grouse, oil and gas drilling, sage-grouse in Colorado, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife