Sage-Grouse Future Still Uncertain
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that sage-grouse are "warranted but precluded" from listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The sage grouse is now a candidate for protections under the ESA.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that sage-grouse are “warranted but precluded” for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The agency determined that sage-grouse populations are low enough to warrant protections but that other species are at higher risk of extinction. Sage-grouse will be monitored yearly as a “candidate species” and can be listed if the population continues to drop.
Sage-grouse numbers have shrunk in half over the last several decades due to habitat loss from wildfires, noxious weeds, overgrazing, and conversion to agriculture. Conservation groups are concerned that a series of new transmission lines and energy projects will further degrade habitat.
The Idaho Conservation League is a member of the Idaho Sage Grouse Advisory Council, which works with Fish and Game and local communities to improve habitat for sage-grouse. Hopefully, this outcome will keep everyone at the table and their feet to the fire to come up with real solutions.
Watch this video of the amazing strut display of the greater sage-grouse!
