The survival of Greater Sage-Grouse is deeply tied to the availability of healthy sagebrush habitat. A recent report found that 1.3 million acres of functioning sagebrush habitat are lost every year across the West.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is requesting public input as they work to finalize management plans for more than 67 million acres of public lands where most of the sage-grouse are found.
Tell the BLM to implement science-based management plans to ensure a future for Greater Sage-Grouse before it's too late. The deadline to comment is June 13.
Your comment will be submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of the official comment period, and it will become part of the public record.
To the Bureau of Land Management:I am concerned that Greater Sage-Grouse populations have declined 80% across their range since 1965, with over half of that loss occurring since 2002. Sage-grouse, and the fragile sagebrush ecosystem, need conservation to survive.
Because the BLM manages the habitat where most of the sage-grouse are found, I appreciate that you are revisiting the 2015 management plans and incorporating new science to improve the management of their habitat on public lands.
I urge the BLM to:
* Use the latest science on climate change and Greater Sage-Grouse population needs to guide management, inform the selection of habitat areas, and apply meaningful adaptive management.
* Balance oil and gas, renewable energy, and infrastructure development with the need for healthy habitat. Development should be directed outside of Priority Habitat Management Areas.
* Protect the last, best remaining intact sagebrush habitat, as these can't be replaced. I support ensuring the strongest protections for these places, many of which are included in the draft plan. Among these are the Golden Triangle (WY), North Park (CO), portions of Owyhee-Jarbidge (NV/ID border) and High Divide areas (ID/MT border), South Valley Phillips/Hi-Line (MT), and areas identified within Rich County/Bear River Valley (UT) and northeastern CA.
BLM must swiftly adopt a durable solution to this decades-long planning effort so attention can refocus on implementing conservation actions, including habitat restoration, before it is too late.
Thank you for your efforts to work with States, Tribes, and stakeholders across the West and for recognizing the agency's important role in ensuring we have healthy public lands to hand down to future generations. These lands and the wildlife they support are our legacy.
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