Sage grouse friends unite

Conservation organizations have filed many petitions over the years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to place the sage grouse on the endangered species list. Now 20 groups have banded together in a campaign to make that request a reality, spearheaded by the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, based in Laramie, Wyo.

According to the alliance, the grouse population has declined from 45% to 80% in the last 20 years, primarily because of habitat loss.

Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist with the organization, blamed much of the loss on the federal government for reneging on its responsibility to protect public lands.

He said oil and gas drilling, along with unprotected habitat, is leading to the grouse’s decline.

The grouse’s population is now estimated at 140,000 to 250,000 in 11 states, compared with about 2 million before the West was settled.

-- J. Michael Kennedy