Western Governors' Sage-Grouse Inventory documents 2014 conservation in 11-state region

Press Release

Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Western Governors Association today released the 2014 Sage-Grouse Inventory, highlighting sage-grouse conservation work and partnerships during the past year across the 11-state western range of the greater sage-grouse.

The 2014 Sage-Grouse Inventory, the fourth annual inventory produced by governors through the Western Governors' Association (WGA), has expanded its focus from previous years.

"Reports like the Sage-Grouse Inventory highlight the fact that Western states are doing an enormous amount of work to preserve the greater sage-grouse, as well as the Gunnison sage-grouse here in Colorado," said Hickenlooper.

"Conservation partnerships across the West are a key element of that work," said Hickenlooper. "Governors believe that a listing of the greater sage-grouse by the Fish and Wildlife Service would diminish the amount of conservation work undertaken and have a significant, negative economic impact across the West."

In addition to recording state and local government conservation initiatives, the inventory includes reports from federal agencies, conservation districts, industry and nonprofits. Examples of conservation work highlighted in the reports include:

Colorado, Idaho and Montana have collectively protected nearly 350,000 acres of greater sage-grouse habitat through purchase or conservation easements.

Nevada Mining Association members have developed Habitat Conservation Plans on 1.2 million acres.

Landowners working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Sage Grouse Initiative have reclaimed over 400,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat through conifer removal.

The greater sage-grouse is found in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The bird was listed as "warranted but precluded" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2010 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which has said it will make a "warranted' or "not warranted" ruling by Sept. 30, 2015.

"The 2014 Sage-Grouse Inventory, a compendium of successful voluntary sage-grouse conservation initiatives, helps demonstrate that a listing of the bird as threatened or endangered under ESA would be both unnecessary and counterproductive," said Jim Ogsbury, Executive Director of WGA.

The decline in greater sage-grouse population is thought to be tied to a variety of factors, including development, drought, wildfires, invasive species and predators. The 2014 Inventory highlights voluntary conservation initiatives and how they address the threats identified in the Conservation Objectives Team (COT) report, developed by state and federal representatives to identify threats that need to be reduced to conserve greater sage-grouse and preclude the need for a listing.

Source