Officials join in initiative to preserve sage grouse

By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Top officials from several state and federal agencies signed on to efforts Monday to preserve a sagebrush-loving bird that many believe is threatened in Colorado by the growing energy industry and other activities.

The Colorado greater sage grouse conservation plan marks a major move to protect the bird so that it doesn't become listed as a federally protected endangered species.

Some compare the potential effect of such a listing to that of the spotted owl, whose endangered status limited logging in parts of the Pacific Northwest.

A grouse listing, some say, could keep the oil and gas industry away from important fossil fuel reserves and make it harder for ranchers to graze their animals.

The plan, 21/2 years in the making, identifies steps that can be taken to preserve the birds' sagebrush habitat in hopes of preventing population declines that could trigger more stringent protections.

Signing onto the plan: the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

"For wide-ranging wildlife species, these . . . partnerships on public and private lands represent the future of conservation planning," said Tom Remington, DOW director. "This plan will ensure that the best possible science and analysis will guide those conservation efforts."

Studies in Wyoming have found oil and gas drilling drives grouse away from mating sites.

Industry doesn't see the situation to be as dire.

Sage grouse in Colorado haven't yet been heavily affected by oil and gas drilling, but biologists are concerned about the industry's gradual expansion into high-quality habitat.

One major energy company, EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), was recognized by DOW and the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission last year for its effort to improve sage grouse habitat and limit certain activities to aid the bird.

Environmental groups have petitioned the sage grouse for listing under the Endangered Species Act, and federal biologist are reviewing its status to determine if any protections are needed. State wildlife officials consider the bird to be a state "species of concern."