The decision comes as no surprise but is distasteful nonetheless.
Sage grouse protections expanded is the title of today’s highlighted article and it starts like this:
The U.S. Department of the Interior will expand efforts with state, local and tribal governments to map lands that are vital to the survival of the greater sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that inhabits much of the West, including northern Summit County.
The article further states:
Salazar made the announcement in conjunction with a finding by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that, based on scientific data, the greater sage grouse warrants the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but that listing the species at this time is precluded by the need to address higher-priority species first.
The greater sage-grouse will be placed on the candidate list for future action, meaning the species would not receive statutory protection under the ESA, and states would continue to be responsible for managing the bird.
There are a couple of facts that need to be emphasized in order to put this topic in proper perspective.
There is no accurate method for estimating actual grouse population numbers. We do not know how many there are – we never did – so claims that populations are in decline is speculation at best.
Population trends are estimated by calculating the average number of males found on breeding grounds (leks) each year.
The average number of males per lek in the 1990s was 12. In 2008 the average was 30.
Even at that, I have personally been involved in lek counting activities and found that we do not know where all leks are located. We do not know if males move between leks. We do not know the percentage of males within a population on any given lek or how that actually correlates to total population numbers.
What we do know for certain is that sage grouse are found – at a minimum – in 11 western states and their current recognized habitat covers 160 million acres.
To even suggest that this bird faces any risk of extinction is hyperbole at best and more likely outright fraud.
Here is another fact, we have been studying this bird since at least the 1960s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has been spending tax dollars on “decisions” for at least a decade and this latest analysis was worked on by a team of 38 scientists.
The director for the Nevada Department of Wildlife was quoted in another article.
Excerpt:
“This level of federal scrutiny could alter our ability to manage the species, and we are concerned that a listing could impact other activities in the area, such as mining or ranching,” Mayer said.
Mining and ranching are not the only concerns.
Our country is in serious economic trouble. Our government is spending tax dollars like drunken sailors on a weekend furlough. Our citizens are experiencing unemployment at levels unprecedented in recent history.
All the while we are exacerbating these problems by spending time, energy and resources on a bird that is under zero threat from extinction.
Rome burns, U.S. Fish and Wildlife fiddles and we watch…
