WASHINGTON - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is making available a final report that is designed to help guide the efforts of the states and other partners to conserve the sage grouse with a landscape level strategy that will benefit the species while maintaining a robust economy in the West.
The report, prepared by state and federal scientists and sage grouse experts, identifies the conservation status of the sage grouse, the nature of the threats facing the species, and objectives to ensure its long-term conservation.
The final report is a collaborative state and federal effort to evaluate species conservation before federal officials make a decision in 2015 on whether to propose protecting the species under the Endangered Species Act.
The intent of the report is to provide state, federal, local and private entities with permitting or land management authority information to support conservation actions for the sage grouse. Such actions might involve modifying or amending regulatory frameworks to ensure the long-term conservation of the species by avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating the threats to the species, or focusing voluntary conservation efforts in ways that will benefit the species the most.
"The range of the sage grouse is broad and encompasses areas with different habitat needs. We commend the Western states for providing their knowledge and expertise in helping us outline the conditions that will ensure the long-term viability of the greater sage grouse," said the service's director Dan Ashe. "Addressing those needs will take the collaborative efforts of federal and state agencies, non-governmental entities and tribes. This report is an important step in our collective efforts to protect, manage, and restore sagebrush habitat for the benefit of sage grouse and the health of this important landscape."
[[In-content Ad]]
