Thursday, November 4, 2010
Conservationists Challenge Grazing in Bodie Hills to Protect Mono Basin Sage-Grouse
Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians are suing the the Bureau of Land Management
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221
Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians
are suing the the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in federal court over two
decisions the BLM’s Bishop Field Office made to reauthorize cattle grazing on
four public land allotments in the Bodie Hills just north of Mono Lake despite
their impacts to imperiled Bi-State sage-grouse.
“The BLM’s insistence on continued grazing threatens
the survival of this magnificent bird,” said Michael Connor, California
Director for Western Watersheds Project. “The Bi-State sage-grouse population
is declining, yet we have to seek a court order to get the BLM to take the
strong measures that are needed to conserve the species.”
Bi-State sage-grouse are a distinct population of
greater sage-grouse found in the vicinity of Mono Lake on the border of
California and Nevada. The total population of Mono Basin sage-grouse is
estimated at fewer than 5,000 birds and is declining. In March 2010, the Obama
Administration determined that this ground nesting sage-grouse warrants
protection under the Endangered Species Act.
“There is a high risk of the grouse disappearing from
most of its current range in the bi-state area,” said Mark Salvo, Director of
the Sagebrush Sea Campaign for WildEarth Guardians. “BLM managers must take
meaningful action to avoid driving these sage-grouse toward extinction.”
The conservation organizations have challenged BLM’s
decision to authorize grazing by as many as 3,057 cattle on four allotments:
Bodie Mountain, Mono Sand Flat, Aurora Canyon, and Potato Peak, totalling more
than 133,000 acres of public land. Continued livestock grazing on these BLM
public lands threatens the Bi-State sage-grouse by degrading habitat,
disturbing nesting sage-grouse, and by promoting the spread of West Nile Virus
carrying mosquitoes. The sage-grouse is highly susceptible to West Nile Virus
and several Mono Basin birds have died from West Nile Virus over the last few
years. Domestic livestock alter sagebrush habitat and compete for native
grasses and forbs that provide essential nutrients the grouse need to thrive
and reproduce. Livestock trample sagebrush, compact the soil, and destroy the
surface soil crusts that serve to retain moisture, prevent the invasion of
nonnative weeds, and limit wildfire.
History
Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians
and other organizations petitioned to list the Mono Basin sage-grouse as
“threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act in 2005. The Fish
and Wildlife Service initially issued a negative finding on the petition in
December 2006, which conservation organizations challenged in federal court for
failure to apply the proper standard of review to the petition. The Service
announced a new, positive finding on the listing petition in April 2008 and initiated
a full status review to determine whether the subpopulation should be listed
under the Endangered Species Act. The agency finally announced in March 2010
that the Bi-State sage-grouse are warranted for protection, but listing is
presently precluded by other, higher priorities.
The range of Mono Basin sage-grouse is about 7,000
square miles, an area about one and half times the size of Los Angeles County.
They occur in small localized populations within this range, many of which are
in danger of extirpation. Research from 2008 found that nest initiation and
chick survival were reduced among sage-grouse studied in Mono County,
California.
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