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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS)
has determined that substantial biological information exists to support
a more in-depth examination of the status of the greater sage grouse.
The Service has completed its evaluation of three petitions to
list the greater sage grouse as either threatened or endangered and will
conduct a full review to determine if that listing is warranted. “It is important to note that our finding
regarding these petitions does not mean that the Service has decided it
is appropriate to list the greater sage grouse,” explained Ralph
Morgenweck, the Service’s Director of the Mountain-Prairie Region.
“Rather, this finding is the first step in a long process that
triggers a more thorough review of all the biological information
available.” The Service
evaluated information that includes loss, fragmentation, and degradation
of sage grouse habitat due to wildfire, invasion of non-native plants,
livestock management, agricultural conversion, herbicide treatment and
mining and energy development. Based on the review, the Service will make one of
three possible determinations: 1)
Listing
is not warranted – in which case, no further action will be taken. 2)
Listing
as threatened or endangered is warranted.
In this case, the Service will publish a proposal to list,
solicit independent scientific peer review of the proposal, seek input
from the public, and consider the input before a final decision about
listing the species is made. 3)
Listing
is warranted but precluded by other, higher priority activities.
This means the species is added to the Federal list of candidate
species, and the proposal to list is deferred while the Service works on
listing proposals for other species that are at greater risk.
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Concern about the long-term declines in sage
grouse populations has prompted western State wildlife agencies as well
as the BLM, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
engage in a variety of cooperative efforts aimed at conserving and
managing habitat for the benefit of the sage grouse.
The BLM continues to work on a variety of projects to map and
monitor sage grouse populations and habitat as well as develop
conservation projects, while other state and federal agencies work on a
variety of conservation assessments in relation to the birds. In 2000, the Governor’s Sage Grouse Conservation
Team was formed to devise strategies for protecting Nevada’s sage
grouse population. Churchill
County and Lahontan Valley Environmental Alliance (LVEA) have
participated in the North Central Sage Grouse Planning Group, one of six
state groups that developed plans for the conservation of sage grouse
and improvement of habitat in local areas.
The State Sage Grouse Conservation Plan has been submitted to
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. USF&WS
will consider this plan in their decision making process.
The LVEA Sage Grouse Working Group is completing a Churchill
County Sage Grouse Conservation Plan that includes the Desatoya, Clan
Alpine and Stillwater Population Management Units.
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