WildEarth Guardians

Friday, April 14, 2006
Feds dismiss threat to Gunnison sage grouse

Fish and Wildlife Service review says bird's population in Utah and Colorado has been stable for a decade - Advocates say bird has declined dramatically in the last 50 years, and few are left
Contact: Joe Baird Salt Lake Tribune

The Salt Lake Tribune carried a story about the failure of the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the rare Gunnison sage grouse as endangered and their refusal to provide federal protection for this seriously threatened bird that lives only in SW Colorado and SE Utah.

WildEarth Guardians conservation director & biologist Nicole Rosmarino had this to say:

"We've seen a [habitat] decline of between 42 and 90 percent in the last half-century. What remains is very small, very limited.. Without the ESA listing, which we think it deserves, land use will not be modified to address the issue of Gunnison sage grouse habitat.

"Throw in issues like West Nile Virus," she added, "and what's being created is a situation that's pretty bleak for this rare bird."

Rosmarino says she is unsure about the next step Gunnison sage grouse advocates will take, but noted that, during the six-plus years of the Bush administration, no species has been added to the Endangered Species Act list without litigation.

To read the entire article, click here.