Reports

Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse: A Compilation of Efforts Underway on State, Tribal, Provincial and Private Lands (letter, Full Report - 2 megabytes)

Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse: Examples of Partnerships and Strategies at Work Across the West ( Letter, Full Report)

Governors' 2008 policy resolution

Partner Links:

North American Grouse Partnership

Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

DOI - Bureau of Land Management
Sage-Grouse Conservation Strategy

Important document:
(Note: The following document is very large and takes considerable time to download 700+ Pages)

Range-wide Conservation Assessment of Greater Sage-grouse and Sagebrush Habitats – June 2004
www.sagemap.wr.usgs.gov - then go to the Conservation Assessment .pdf file

     Greater Sage Grouse Conservation
   

Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse is a major challenge to the partners in the 11 Western states with sage grouse populations. Sage grouse inhabit a complex sagebrush ecosystem, which is home to multiple species of concern.

The scope of the effort to conserve the sage grouse is unprecedented. It is both broad-based and locally driven. All of the states within the sage grouse range are engaged in this conservation effort and have brought a myriad of partners to the table with them, including local ranchers, non-profit organizations, industry, local governments and federal agencies

Over the past several years, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) received multiple petitions requesting it to list the Greater Sage Grouse as a threatened and endangered species. The FWS determined that substantial biological information exists to warrant a more in-depth examination of the status of Greater Sage Grouse. In 2000, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Western states’ wildlife agencies and the Department of Interior to work on conservation efforts relative to the sagebrush ecosystem for a wide variety of species.

The Western governors passed WGA Policy Resolution 08-12 Sage Grouse Conservation in June 2008. The resolution directed that "WGA shall compile and document state and private efforts to conserve the Greater Sage Grouse and highlight success stories throughout the Western states." In June 2004 two documents were released that illustrate the depth of commitment and cooperation that is taking place westwide to conserve the Greater Sage Grouse. The success stories represent a glimpse of what the partnerships are accomplishing and how they are doing it.

  • Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse - Examples of Partnerships and Strategies at Work Across the West provides a glimpse of what several partnerships are accomplishing.
  • Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse - A Compilation of Efforts Underway on State, Tribal, Provincial, and Private Lands is a more comprehensive report of state and private activities to conserve the sage grouse.

These documents were forwarded to the FWS in July 2004 for consideration during the potential listing process for the Greater Sage Grouse.

In January 2005, the FWS determined that the Greater Sage Grouse did not warrant listing as a threatened or endangered species under the ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Western Governors applauded the FWS decision and continued to focus on sage grouse and sagebrush conservation by passing WGA Policy Resolution 05-00 Sage Grouse and Sagebrush Conservation in June 2005. This resolution established the Sagebrush Conservation Council and provided direct communications to the Governors on efforts related to Sage Grouse and Sagebrush Conservation. The Western Governors continue to support over 60 local working groups who provide the fundamental building blocks of Greater Sage Grouse conservation. These local working groups are the fundamental building blocks of Greater Sage Grouse conservation. Their local information, special circumstances and communication networks are vital to the implementation of projects that will protect habitat and address other needs of the sage grouse.

The Governors also continue to support the efforts of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) for the delivery of the Greater Sage-grouse Comprehensive Conservation Strategy released in December 2006. This WAFWA document provides a path forward and each state is committed to seeing that it is utilized in the development of approaches that address issues, needs, opportunities and partnerships related to the conservation of greater sage-grouse and sagebrush habitats at the range-wide scale.

This decision was remanded to the FWS in December 2007, the US District Court for the District of Idaho (Case No. CV-06-277-E-BLW) remanded back to the FWS the January 2005 decision for further review. FWS announced through a Federal Register Notice on February 26, 2008, the initiation of a status review for the greater sage-grouse (Volume 73, Number 38) to determine if the species should be protected under the ESA. The FWS request is for new information (since January 12, 2005) on the status of and potential threats to the Greater Sage Grouse. FWS announced through a Federal Register Notice on February 26, 2008, the initiation of a status review for the greater sage-grouse (Volume 73, Number 38) to determine if the species should be protected under the ESA. The FWS request is for new information (since January 12, 2005) on the status of and potential threats to the greater sage grouse (does not include Gunnison Sage-grouse). They are also asking for conservation efforts from 2000 to the present to allow them to evaluate ongoing conservation efforts, including those that have been planned but have not been implemented, or have been implemented but have not yet demonstrated effectiveness. The Western Governors and their respective state departments of fish and wildlife affected by the decision are compiling significant data and success stories on sage grouse recovery efforts which will be submitted to FWS officials by the June 23, 2008 deadline.

In January 2008, the Western Governors unanimously approved WGA Policy Resolution 07-01 Protecting Wildlife Migration Corridors and Crucial Wildlife Habitat in the West providing greater protection of sensitive wildlife migration corridors and crucial wildlife habitat that is being impacted by energy development, urban development and transportation infrastructure. The resolution directs WGA to identify sensitive wildlife corridors and crucial habitat and to develop recommendations for protecting wildlife in these areas. WGA has brought together a broad-based group of representatives to conduct the study, and findings from this collaborative process will be delivered to the Governors in June 2008. An area of focus for the states is the crucial habitat in relation to Greater Sage Grouse.
   

 

 

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