A new monograph on sage grouse biology, conservation, and management has been published. At the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is directing its Wyoming offices to consider certain restrictions for oil and gas drilling, new wind turbines and other types of development in sage grouse habitat.
The monograph, to be published as one the Studies in Avian Biology (SAB) volumes, contains several chapters that develop new methods relevant to other species of the sagebrush ecosystem and beyond. For example, chapter 18 (Connecting pattern and process in Greater Sage-Grouse populations and sagebrush landscapes) applies a graph-theory-based analysis to assess how population connectivity influences persistence of sage grouse subpopulations.
More on the BLM memo from Associated Press:
CHEYENNE — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is directing its Wyoming
offices to consider certain restrictions for oil and gas drilling, new
wind turbines and other types of development in sage grouse habitat.
In many cases, the BLM could limit drilling to one well pad per square
mile. Also, the BLM will prohibit many activities during sage grouse
breeding season each spring.
Acting BLM State Director Bill Hill sent the guidance to Wyoming’s BLM
field offices in a memorandum earlier this week. While restrictions to
protect sage grouse aren’t a new idea, BLM officials said they want
their Wyoming field offices to adopt a more uniform approach to such
restrictions statewide.
At the same time, the restrictions are guidelines and don’t mandate the
same approach to every bit of development proposed in sage grouse
habitat, said Chris Keefe, a BLM wildlife biologist in Cheyenne.
“It doesn’t say, ‘Here’s your restrictions, here’s how to approach
every project,”‘ said Keefe. “It says, ‘These must be considered in
your range of alternatives in how to develop things.”‘
The guidelines come as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepares to
decide whether to list sage grouse as an endangered species. That
decision is expected no later than next month.
One goal in the memorandum says there should be no more than one new
oil or gas well or wind turbine per square mile in core sage grouse habitat.
“There are places where that goal can’t be met, but that certainly
should be our goal everywhere,” Keefe said.
Environmentalists praised the drilling density goal, which is much
lower than the density of existing wells in much of Wyoming. It could
pre-empt an endangered species listing, said Brian Rutledge, executive
director of Audubon Wyoming.
“If we can limit the total development to no more than one pad per
section and apply it broadly, we can see this ecosystem continue,”
Rutledge said. “We can have the energy we need and we can maintain
tourism, hunting, et cetera.”
Also, any activities that might disturb sage grouse would be prohibited
during breeding season. For example, disruptive activities could be
prohibited in core area nesting habitat each March 15-June 30.
The BLM restrictions resemble many restrictions already in effect on
state land, said Ryan Lance, a deputy chief of staff to Gov. Dave
Freudenthal who’s been consulting with the BLM and Fish and Wildlife
Service on sage grouse.
“It’s kind of a unification of the management now across the state,”
Lance said. Lance said he’s confident about resolving energy industry concerns
about seasonal sage grouse restrictions.
Sage grouse are found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North
Dakota, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming,
as well as in Canada. Disappearance of sagebrush habitat is one reason
why the birds are believed to have declined between 55 and 90 percent
from their historic numbers.
Interesting comment on the above by the American Bird Conservancy
” Due to Population Decline and Energy Development,
Sage-Grouse Listing Called for by American Bird
Conservancy
BLM Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan Deemed
Deficient
(Washington, D.C., February 22, 2010) Citing that
numbers of the Greater Sage-Grouse have dramatically
diminished in recent decades, and the continued
expansion of energy developments that threaten the
species” sagebrush habitat, the President of
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) today called on the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Greater
Sage-Grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“While there have been legitimate, good-faith
conservation efforts undertaken in the last couple
of years by federal, state, and private interests to
help the Greater Sage-Grouse, by the same token
there is also absolutely no mistaking that the path
we are on will lead to fewer and fewer birds. More
needs to be done. The species needs to be fully
protected, and ESA listing is the best way to
achieve that,” said George Fenwick, President of
ABC.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the
status of the Greater Sage-Grouse, and is expected
to announce its findings at the end of February.
The numbers of Greater Sage-Grouse have dropped
precipitously ” with a loss of more than 30% in
the last 25 years, according to recent reports.
ABC is also calling attention to standards that are
proposed by state and federal agency conservation
plans. “Some standards are quite strong, such as
the state of Oregon Sage-Grouse conservation
strategy that calls for “no net loss of sagebrush
habitat”, while other plans fall short” Fenwick
said. ABC is concerned that the core area
development standards in the Bureau of Land
Management”s (BLM) Wyoming Sage Grouse Management
Plan are insufficient to ensure stable populations
over the long term. The Wyoming plan, which allows
for one drilling or wind “pad” per square mile
within the core areas, will lead to further habitat
loss, fragmentation and degradation of remaining
habitat from associated construction of roads. The
plan also fails to include a number of core
Sage-Grouse habitat areas such as parts of the
Powder River Basin.
“The Wyoming BLM issued a conservation plan on
January 4th that overlooks key scientific studies
that indicate greater protections are needed, and as
a result is unacceptable,” Fenwick added. “We
can”t possibly be satisfied with a plan that
merely slows down the loss of sage-grouse. This
simply postpones the inevitable.”
The causes for the decline of sage-grouse are
varied, and include the loss or degradation of
habitat arising from grazing and agriculture, energy
development, and fires that are escalated by
invasive vegetation such as cheat grass. Additional
threats include mosquito-borne West Nile virus, and
collisions with wire fences that the birds cannot
see.
“The general idea of protecting core areas for the
sage-grouse is sound,” said Fenwick. “To be
effective, what”s needed is a comprehensive and
region-wide management plan that will protect the
species” entire core habitat, with sufficient
buffers around the core areas. To make this happen,
and for plans and protections to be strong enough,
the Greater Sage-Grouse needs to be listed under the
ESA.”