By DAN ELLIOTT, ASSOCIATED
PRESS
DENVER — Aug 12, 2016, 4:55 PM ET
Federal land managers announced
long-awaited plans to protect the rare Gunnison sage grouse, a bird found only
in Colorado and Utah.
The Bureau of
Land Management released a nearly 1,000-page document late
Thursday proposing restrictions on energy development, roads and grazing.
The proposals include closing or
limiting the use of some areas during the birds' mating season, from mid-March
to Mid-May, and during harsh winter weather. That could affect exploration for
oil and gas, among other activities.
Other proposals include limits on
the size of rights of way for utility lines and pipelines. Release of the plans
opens a 90-day period for public comment. Final rules are expected next year.
Only about 5,000 Gunnison sage
grouse remain in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. The bird was
listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 2014. About
2,200 square miles in the two states are considered critical habitat.
Threatened status is less serious
than endangered, which means a species is on the verge of extinction now and
requires tighter restrictions.
The Gunnison grouse is related to
the greater sage grouse, which is found across 11 Western states. Federal
wildlife managers decided in September not to protect the greater sage grouse
under the Endangered Species Act, but conservation restrictions are planned on
public lands.
No comments:
Post a Comment