Wyoming, Colorado slam Interior's Sage Grouse Review

[Ben Lamb]

The Governors of Wyoming & Colorado aren't happy with the ham-fisted approach to public land management currently oozing from the Department of Interior.

Likewise, the Governors of Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Washington have all expressed similar concerns. That hasn't stopped Rob Bishop & crew in congress from threatening sensible land management, nor has it stopped the Secretary from moving forward with a concept that could throw dozens of species into a possible ESA listing by re-opening 98 BM managment plans for amendments.

This is the epitome of heavy-handed federal malarkey that western conservative legislators like to complain about, until it comes from their heavy-hands.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/states-warn-trump-big-sage-grouse-plan-50852528

 

[Oneye]

Kudos to all those speaking up for sage grouse plans on both sides of the political spectrum.


The problem.... Colorado and Wyoming may be warming against it, but Utah is running the west in this Administration.

 

[Zach]

I'll be curious to see what the Bio's with CPW think.

I know the SE Region meetings have covered the Sage Grouse topic lightly, but not from a DOI approach. This would be a good question for the bird bio.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'll be curious to see what the Bio's with CPW think.

I know the SE Region meetings have covered the Sage Grouse topic lightly, but not from a DOI approach. This would be a good question for the bird bio.

Here's the CPW plan: http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/GreaterSagegrouseConservationPlan.aspx

Additionally, the Assocation of Fish & Wildlife Agencies have come out strongly agaisnt the path that Interior is charting. That organization is the collective voice of fish &wildlife agencies across the United States.

Interiors new approach is to remove as many regulations as possible on activities that elimiante or severely impact grouse habitat while abandoning the net conservation gain model of mitigation and adopting a sage-grouse farming philosophy that is both unneeded and highly likely to fail for a variety of reasons.

Most states had issues with the BLM plans, but rather than go through the effort to rewrite all of them, the states have requested that Interior work with them to make strategic & targeted changes that do not require more NEPA, and won't get us all in to litigation hell.

 

[Zach]

Not all the Bio's have agreed with department plans, at least when you can get them off to the side and speak to them one on one....

Some or most of this may be over my head, admittedly so, but getting the pulse of the boots on the ground folks seems go to have.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Not all the Bio's have agreed with department plans, at least when you can get them off to the side and speak to them one on one....

Some or most of this may be over my head, admittedly so, but getting the pulse of the boots on the ground folks seems go to have.

No doubt there are a variety of opinions. The goal though is to get a plan in place, then make targeted changes through the implementation phase and perfect the approach through adaptive management.

The new approach ignores (in some instances) decades of work that was done between stakeholders in favor of uncertainty and appeasement of some donors.

 

[1_pointer]

One plan I have looked at called for a whole lot of killing of sagebrush! Not sure the crafters quite understood what some of the vegetation numbers meant.

 

[Ben Lamb]

One plan I have looked at called for a whole lot of killing of sagebrush! Not sure the crafters quite understood what some of the vegetation numbers meant.

$5 and a donut says there was some disconnect between local field offices and DC. None of that however means we should throw the plans out and start over.

 

[1_pointer]

$5 and a donut says there was some disconnect between local field offices and DC. None of that however means we should throw the plans out and start over.

You owe me $5 and a donunt. I knew the author as both a graduate student and later in their professional capacity. It wasn't a disconnect...

PS- In some places, killing a whole lot of sagebrush should be done for grouse!

PPS- Never said the plans should be thrown out.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'll gladly pay you & provide a donut of your choosing.

I'm a big fan of burning & chaining sage brush habitats to produce diverse age structure & improve forage for native wildlife.

PPS - I never said you said the plans should be thrown out.

 

[1_pointer]

Chains and dozers should be getting worn out instead of mothballed, that's for sure.

I'll collect on the $5 and donut the next time we go hunting together, preferably with dogs in tow!

 

[Ben Lamb]

Chains and dozers should be getting worn out instead of mothballed, that's for sure.

I'll collect on the $5 and donut the next time we go hunting together, preferably with dogs in tow!

Done & done!