Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo: Joseph Mahoney/Audubon Photography Awards

Forest Service lands that include important habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse and 350 other species of wildlife now at increased risk of further development.

August 5, 2019 - FORT COLLINS, Colo.— Last week, the U.S. Forest Service proposed final versions of its land-management plans for the sagebrush ecosystem nearly two years after beginning the process to rewrite a historic 2015 agreement on sage-grouse conservation as part of an approach that elevates short-term development interests above all others.

“What earned its place as the most hopeful conservation success story in American history has suffered yet another grave setback that threatens not only the Greater Sage-Grouse but also the entire sagebrush ecosystem,” said Brian Rutledge, director of Audubon’s Sagebrush Ecosystem Initiative.

“Driven by short-term development interests, Washington insiders have discarded a science-driven approach to managing public lands. These are special places all parties agree are most important to protect. The Trump Administration decided to put years of hard work, compromise and hope for a healthy sagebrush country at risk.

“The Forest Service’s proposed plan amendments are another step on this misguided path. While they show that common sense tools like compensatory mitigation can and should be maintained, they still remove important protections and will not stop the onslaught of leasing and drilling that continues to threaten the survival of the sage-grouse, as shown in our recent report. Audubon has been part of this process from the very beginning, and we intend to double down with our partners to build a sustainable future for this landscape and the birds and people who depend on it.  The Department of the Interior has not heard the last of us yet.”

Strong Support from Westerners for Sage-Grouse Protections

Overwhelming majorities of Westerners have asked the Secretary of the Interior to honor the 2015 agreement, which is the greatest example of landscape conservation in American history. Since Secretary Ryan Zinke first decided to revisit the BLM and Forest Service plans, more than 40 thousand Americans, including approximately 15 thousand Audubon members and supporters, submitted comments to Interior opposing modifications of the agreement. 

In a poll conducted earlier this year by Colorado College, nearly two-thirds of voters from Western states expressed opposition to changing the sage-grouse conservation plans.

Scientific Concerns with Zinke Approach to Sage-Grouse

In June 2018, more than twenty scientists sent a letter to Secretary Zinkeoutlining concerns with the proposed changes made final today. The scientists concluded, “failure to take into account large-scale dynamics when managing sage-grouse will likely lead to an overall loss of habitat quantity and quality resulting in population declines.”

Background on Landmark 2015 Sage-Grouse Agreement

In 2015, Western states, federal agencies, energy executives, ranchers, sportsmen, scientists and other stakeholders came together to celebrate collective commitments to sage-grouse conservation, securing a “not warranted” finding with regard to Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. A finding now more uncertain after today’s decision.

More than 350 other species of wildlife, including many other species of birds, depend on a healthy sagebrush ecosystem. For example, Burrowing Owls often make their homes underground in abandoned prairie dog dens. Sage Thrashers can be heard singing atop sagebrush plants during breeding season as can the brightly-colored Western Meadowlark, the state bird of many Western states including Montana, Oregon, North Dakota and Wyoming.

To learn more about Audubon’s efforts to protect the Greater Sage-Grouse and the places it calls home, please visit www.audubon.org/sage-grouse.

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.  Audubon works throughout the Americas using, science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation.  State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action.  A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive.Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.
Source: National Audubon Society

USDA Releases Proposed Amendments to Greater Sage Grouse Land Management Plans

August 5, 2019 - WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue last week announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service proposed changes to how the agency manages greater sage grouse in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah after hearing concerns from states and land users. The changes strive to improve the clarity, efficiency, and implementation of the current sage grouse plans.

“The Forest Service continues to promote our multiple use mission while ensuring conservation of greater sage grouse habitat,” Secretary Perdue said. “We are sharing the stewardship of the lands with western state governors – their extensive participation throughout this process was the key to landscape-scale conservation that aligns our policies and practices across local, state, and federal jurisdictions.”

The Forest Service published the final environmental impact statement in the Federal Register, and the objection period will last 60 days from the date of the publication of the notice of availability. After considering objections, the Forest Service intends to continue the planning process by issuing a final decision document regarding the revised plan amendments in the fall of 2019.

Background:

Greater sage grouse populations have been impacted by a variety of threats including the loss of habitat from wildfire and the spread of invasive weeds like cheat grass. In 2015, the USDA’s Forest Service, along with the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, amended land management plans in an attempt to address threats and improve habitat conservation for greater sage grouse.

Stakeholders have since raised concerns that the 2015 plans would impact economic growth and did not align with conservation plans laid out by the states. To address these concerns, USDA engaged in an historic collaboration effort to build partnerships between state and local governments, ranchers, universities, non-profit groups, and businesses in order to better align changes to the 2015 plans with stakeholder knowledge.

USDA applied lessons-learned and concerns voiced by a diverse set of stakeholders, including grazers and other land users, in the 2019 proposed changes. The 2019 plans have been adapted to take into account site-specific conditions to ensure ranchers, permittees, and industry can adapt to their local conditions rather than be forced to conform to a one-size-fits-all, national approach.

Key Changes:

• The 2019 plans allow for greater flexibility and local control of conservation and management actions related to sage grouse, ensuring that we can both conserve the habitat and enable grazers to maintain their livelihood. USDA has revised grazing guidelines to shift from rigid, prescriptive standards to common sense, locally-driven strategies.
• The 2019 plans align state and federal conservation standards, so ranchers and other land users have one set of standards instead of dealing with multiple, complex layers of restrictions. The new changes also align mitigation options with state-based systems so mitigation strategies on how to ensure no net-loss of habitat are locally supported, not a one-size-fits-all standard.
• The 2019 plans maintain the goal of preventing any net-loss to critical sage grouse habitat, but no longer require the unreasonable standard that every action increase conservation. This enables local stakeholders to determine what strategies to implement where and how while still conserving sage grouse habitat.
  Source: USDA