An iconic bird just lost important habitat protections: What it means

A rule rollback will allow more oil and gas drilling to occur on nearly nine million acres of lands crucial for the species’ survival.

BY HANNAH NORDHAUS

PUBLISHED MARCH 21, 2019

Last week, the Trump administration rolled back protections for the embattled greater sage grouse, an iconic bird that has become a symbol of the struggle over how to balance extractive land use and preservation in the American West. The new plans allow more oil and gas leasing and drilling opportunities across nearly nine million acres of critical habitat.

Since the late 1990s, conservationists have pushed to list the greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act. An endangered listing, however, would bring severe limitations on grazing, energy development and other activities across 173 million acres of public, state and private land in the west.

To forestall that, the Obama administration in 2015 brokered a compromise plan to limit development and restore disturbed areas within “core” grouse habitat, while allowing more intensive development elsewhere.

The agreement won the support of a variety of industry and environmental stakeholders, but also spurred criticism and lawsuits. Some environmentalists argued that the protections were not strong enough; some industry groups and state and local governments called for the plan’s “draconian” restrictions on development in sage grouse habitat to be loosened.

The Trump administration heeded the latter calls.

The new plan reduces protections on over 51 million acres of “priority” habitat in seven states, making it easier for oil and gas companies to receive waivers, exceptions, and modifications to drilling rules. It eliminates from all but two states the most stringent protections, which tightly circumscribed mineral leasing and drilling in nearly nine million acres of the most sensitive grouse habitat.

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Researchers study how well greater sage grouse habitat protects other species

April 18, 2018, University of Wyoming

Researchers in the University of Wyoming's Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology discovered that size does matter—as it pertains to the effectiveness of secondary species' wildlife protection relative to the size of a wildlife reserve set aside for an umbrella species.

The umbrella species concept is defined as multiple wildlife species being indirectly protected under the umbrella of a reserve created to enhance conservation for one species—in this case, the greater sage grouse in Wyoming. The research group investigated two potential mechanisms—reserve size and species similarity—underlying the concept's successful application. Larger alternative reserves serve as better umbrellas but, regardless of reserve size, not all species received equal protection, the study determined.

"This study provides us a better understanding of which species might fall through the cracks, and which may need targeted attention for their conservation," says Anna Chalfoun, a UW associate professor of zoology and an assistant unit leader for the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

"I was surprised at the findings. The longtime assumption is that what's good for the grouse is good for any other species living in sagebrush country," says Jason Carlisle, a Ph.D. student in UW's Program in Ecology from 2011-17 who led the study. "Sage grouse are often the flagship species in the ecosystem. But, when examining how well the protected area established for sage grouse covers other species that depend on sage grouse habitat, it leaves a lot to be desired."

Carlisle was lead author and Chalfoun a co-author of a paper, titled "Identifying Holes in the Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Umbrella," that was published March 30 in the online version of The Journal of Wildlife Management and is expected to be in print later this month. The journal publishes manuscripts containing information from original research that contributes to basic wildlife science. Topics include investigations into the biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats that have direct or indirect implications for wildlife management and conservation.

Douglas Keinath, formerly the lead vertebrate zoologist with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database at UW; and Shannon Albeke, a research scientist/eco-informaticist in the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, were co-authors of the paper. Carlisle and Keinath also were part of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The project was funded by a state wildlife grant from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

"When you hear people generally talking about sage grouse, whether it be land managers or politicians, they oftentimes are already making an assumption that sage grouse, as an umbrella species, is benefiting other species," Chalfoun says. "But, that assumption had not been critically tested."

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Can Markets Save the West’s Most Controversial Bird?

A group of states are experimenting with cap-and-trade conservation.

Daniel Rothberg

November 30, 2017, 10:00 AM GMT

Agee Smith’s Cottonwood Ranch is tucked away in rural Nevada, about 450 miles from Las Vegas and not far from the Idaho border. The area is prime habitat for the greater sage grouse, an imperiled bird found in 11 western states. The male grouse is known for his eccentric mating dance—involving strutting, chest puffing and the inflation of two yellow air sacs on his neck.

Over the past two years, Smith worked to improve areas that are crucial habitats for sage grouse. He has planted sagebrush and improved the grass density in his meadows. If a new conservation method works as planned, Smith could make some money off his work.

Nevada, along with Colorado and Wyoming, has been working to create statewide markets for the conservation of the bird. In the simplest terms, these markets let developers—mining and energy companies, mainly—offset their impact on sage grouse by purchasing “credits” from ranchers who conserve an equal amount of habitat. It’s like cap-and-trade for conservation. Nevada is so far the only state to open its exchange, with the first transaction occurring on Nov. 9.

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Rules aim to protect imperiled bird's habitat in 10 states

By MEAD GRUVER

Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Interior Secretary Sally Jewell revealed plans Thursday to preserve habitat in 10 Western states for an imperiled ground-dwelling bird, the federal government's biggest land-planning effort to date for conservation of a single species.

The proposal would affect energy development. The regulations would require oil and gas wells to be clustered in groups of a half-dozen or more to avoid scattering them across habitat of the greater sage grouse. Drilling near breeding areas would be prohibited during mating season, and power lines would be moved away from prime habitat to avoid serving as perches for raptors that eat sage grouse.

Some will say the plans don't go far enough to protect the bird, Jewell said.

"But I would say these plans are grounded in sound science - the best available science," she said at a news conference on a ranch near Cheyenne.

Sage grouse are chicken-sized birds that inhabit grass and sagebrush ecosystems in 11 states from California to the Dakotas. The rules would not apply to a relatively small area of habitat in Washington state. The bird's numbers have declined sharply in recent decades, and some environmentalists warn they are at risk of extinction.

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ENDANGERED BIRDS: USU to host sage grouse summit in Salt Lake City Tuesday

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State University will host a summit Tuesday and Wednesday to enhance conservation efforts among federal, state and private natural resource agencies for the greater sage grouse, a candidate for the Endangered Species list.

The summit will help wildlife managers collaborate in preventing the bird from becoming listed as endangered, according to Terry Messmer, professor and extension wildlife specialist at USU's S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources.

"Through this discussion, we'll hopefully be able to demonstrate the resolve of these partners in doing the right thing, not only to protect this species and its habitat, but also the communities and working landscapes which drive Utah's economy," Messmer said.

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