The US Forest Service (USFS) has proposed changes to how the US Department of Agriculture agency manages the greater sage grouse in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah after hearing concerns from states and land users. The changes strive to improve the clarity, efficiency, and implementation of the current sage grouse plans, US Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue said on Aug. 1.
“The [USFS] continues to promote our multiple-use mission while ensuring conservation of greater sage grouse habitat,” Perdue said. “We are sharing the stewardship of the lands with western state governors. Their extensive participation throughout this process was the key to landscape-scale conservation that aligns our policies and practices across local, state, and federal jurisdictions.”
The agency published a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed changes on Aug. 2 and said it would accept comments for the next 60 days. It incorporated standards and guidelines for the bird and its habitat’s protection soon after federal agencies, state governments, local officials, stakeholders including the oil and gas industry, and environmental and similar organizations reached their historic agreement in 2015.
Comments on the draft EIS for the proposed changes earlier this year supported proposed actions such as removal of sagebrush focal areas, net conservation gain, and mandatory habitat objectives. Others suggested that the USFS develop and analyze a broader range of alternatives. These included a conservation alternative that protects the environment more aggressively, and an alternative to complete the supplemental EIS that a federal court found would be necessary to maintain sagebrush focal areas.
Best available science
Other comments recommended that the EIS be updated to reflect best available science and allow for incorporation of future scientific research and methods into management actions. Several respondents also stated that the USFS should not rely on the landscape-scale planning provisions in the National Technical Team report and other related documents that were the basis for the 2015 records of decision, the agency said.
It said the key changes in the plans for this year would allow for greater flexibility and local control of conservation and management actions related to the bird and its habitat. State and federal conservation standards would be aligned so that oil and gas producers and other land users have one set of requirements instead of dealing with multiple, complex layers of restrictions, the USFS said.
Finally, it said the plans for 2019 would maintain the goal of preventing any net loss of critical greater sage grouse habitat, but no longer require that every action increase conservation. This would let local stakeholders determine what strategies to implement where and how while still conserving the bird’s habitat, the agency said.
