2013-1245 2013-11-18. BLM’s 2015 conservation plans aimed to make a listing under the Endangered Species Act unnecessary, by protecting important sage-grouse habitat on public lands in ten western states. Sage-Grouse Local Implementation Teams. Sage-grouse once numbered in the millions across the western United States, but the bird’s populations have plummeted in recent decades. Sage Grouse Experience, Elko, Nevada. SAGE GROUSE: Sage Grouse Initiative Achieves Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching. Description The male greater sage-grouse weighs about 7 pounds and has a maximum length of over 30 inches while the females are 23 inches long and have a weight of about 4 pounds. The SGC was overseen by an Oversight Commitee, which included representatives from academia, state and federal agencies, … 2009). The population of the greater sage-grouse has been declining in its range; therefore it is listed as near threatened or threatened by numerous international and national organizations. Wildlife experts concluded in 2015 that the Greater Sage-Grouse, an iconic bird of the West, did not require listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), thanks to then-new federal management plans with added conservation requirements. The Greater Sage-grouse is an indicator species of the health of this entire ecosystem. Our organizations were among those that came together and brought this case to court. Sage grouse have very specific habitat requirements and are highly dependent on silver sagebrush which constitutes 47 to 60 percent of the adult diet in the summer and 100% in the winter. 1531 et seq.) The Elko County Sage-grouse Experience takes place on April 20. The planning effort that concludes with today’s decisions began in 2017 when governors of most of the affected sage-grouse states asked the BLM to revisit existing plans for managing sage-grouse habitat and adapt them to better meet the needs of individual states. History and Overview. After evaluating the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the greater sage-grouse, the Service has determined that protection for the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act is no longer warranted and is withdrawing the species from the candidate species list. Due to loss of native prairie habitat in Alberta, sage-grouse are now restricted to the extreme southeast corner of the province, known as the “Manyberries area.” 128 talking about this. P.C. (aa) has prepared or will prepare, by not later than 1 year after the date of submission of the notice, a Statewide plan that will protect and manage sage-grouse species and the habitat of sage-grouse species to the point that designation of sage-grouse species as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. The BLM is responsible for managing about half of the remaining sage grouse habitat. Today sage grouse are found in 11 western states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The desire to keep the bird off the list—and stave off the many restrictions that come with a threatened or endangered status—has generated a rare show of cooperation from those interested in using the habitat for drilling, ranching, or other economic endeavors. Register by sending an email to sage@nnsg.org. See the … The Sage-Grouse Research Collaborative (SGC) was formed in 2010 to coordinate studies examining the potential impacts of wind energy development on sage-grouse across their range with the goal of informing wind development and sage-grouse management strategies. Emergency Order for the Protection of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation works to save habitat on all upland wildlife, and includes local chapters that actively participate in sage grouse conservation. After years of inaction and prompted by a 2011 decision by the U.S. A leading environ-mental non-governmental organisation (NGO), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), organised relevant stakeholders to develop the Colorado Habitat Exchange, a compensatory mitigation programme through which Populations of sage grouse have declined roughly 44% over the last four years.