Save the Bird That Saved the West

Once widespread across the West, sage-grouse populations have plummeted.  In the early 1900s, the birds were so abundant that early settlers and explorers saw flocks of thousands that darkened the sky.Threats like oil and gas drilling, urban sprawl, and the spread of weeds have destroyed large areas of the bird's habitat, putting the sage-grouse at risk of extinction.  
 
The greater sage-grouse is an important part of the web of life in sagebrush country.  Protecting these areas will help conserve Colorado's wildlife, including deer, antelope, and songbirds. 
 
The BLM has begun to amend sage-grouse management plans in northwest Colorado, updating scientific standards for conservation of the imperiled bird.  Take action now by telling BLM decision makers that you care about conserving greater sage-grouse in Colorado, and securing the future of our West Slope wildlife, landscapes and communities. 
Dear Mr. Abbey, I appreciate the BLM's effort to update standards to conserve the greater sage-grouse.  The greater sage-grouse is an important part of the web of life in sagebrush country.  Future generations should have the opportunity to visit natural areas and see the fascinating mating dance of the sage-grouse.  
As it updates its management plans, BLM should take the following 5 critical steps towards improving conservation of greater sage-grouse and other sage-brush dependent wildlife: 
1. The BLM should focus the strongest protections on the most important sage-grouse habitats, which is often where the largest number of grouse are found; this increases chances for success.  The BLM should protect a large enough area of priority habitat, to maintain AND increase sage-grouse populations.  
2. The BLM should update standards based on the latest science.  A scientific panel selected by the BLM outlined conservation measures that are an important starting point for effective conservation, in the 2011 Report on National Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Measures.  It is critical for BLM to consider implementing the following technical team recommendations as minimum standards: * Fully protect priority habitat from large scale disturbances (e.g. transmission lines, oil and gas wells, graded roads etc.) that will harm sage-grouse populations.  * If priority habitat can't be fully protected from large-scale disturbances due to existing rights, minimize impacts by limiting disturbances to one per section with no more than 3% surface disturbance. * Ensure that small scale disturbances donít disturb more than 3% of each priority area.  * Use available tools to increase the amount of protected habitat (e.g. retiring oil and gas leases, buying out mineral claims).  * Reduce overall road density. * Direct right-of-way permits (e.g. for transmission lines) to areas outside of priority habitat.  4. To be effective, BLM should address all threats to sage-grouse.  Each plan must adequately protect greater sage-grouse from all threats (e.g. construction of transmission lines, energy development, roads, wildfires and invasive weeds).  
5. The BLM should put mandatory standards in place to safeguard sage-grouse.  Because inappropriately located oil and gas development has been formally recognized by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as being a major threat to sage-grouse in Colorado (and throughout the eastern range), the Resource Management Plans cannot rely on voluntary standards to minimize the negative impacts of oil and gas drilling.  BLM should require companies to act responsibly to protect greater sage-grouse.  
I respectfully ask that the BLM put important safeguards in place in its long-term management plans, to save the sage-grouse and conserve our land, water and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.  Thanks for your consideration.
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