In March, when the Trump administration released a new set of land-use plans that rolled back a collection of 2015 restrictions on oil and gas drilling across 9 million acres of the Greater Sage-Grouse’s most important habitat, environmental groups immediately sued to get the plans thrown out. They also asked for a court order to […]
Tag: Sage-grouse
POLL: Should the Trump Administration be allowed to weaken protections for sage grouse?
The Trump administration has unveiled plans to weaken environmental protections for sprawling areas of the western US considered important habitat for the sage grouse, a chicken-like bird known for its flamboyant courtship displays. The proposals, put forward by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), essentially dismantle much of a landmark 2015 compromise struck between […]
POLL: Should the Trump Adminstration be allowed to auction off public land for fracking?
RENO, Nevada— The Trump administration plans to auction more than 900,000 acres for oil and gas extraction on the doorstep of Nevada’s only national park and other protected public lands. It would be the largest single lease sale of public lands in the lower 48 states in at least a decade. “The Trump administration is […]
These six species are about to be sacrificed for the oil and gas industry
Republicans in the western United States have been trying to whittle away the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since Donald Trump took office. Under new proposals, wildlife managers would limit protections for species designated as “threatened” (a level below endangered), consider the economic costs prior to defending a species, and de-emphasize long-term threats such as climate […]
Helping Lesser Prairie-Chickens and the People Saving Them
In 2013, when I did my Conservation Big Year, one of the birds I was most focused on seeing was the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. I saw and heard my first ones way back in April 1996 when my sister-in-law Jeanie and I took a road trip out West. One of my destinations was Lamar, Colorado, where […]
POLL: Should the greater sage-grouse be kept on the “endangered species list”?
The greater sage-grouse, a bird best known for its flamboyant mating ritual, has become embroiled in a tussle over states’ rights, with Utah suing the federal government over its protection of the threatened species. Utah’s lawsuit claims that a federal plan to protect the sage-grouse has “overthrown” the state’s own work to safeguard the species […]
End of the Season Blues
Birds? I still like ’em, I still take pictures of them. I am now back in civilization, society. There are 2 positive things about this: The internet, and my cats have a house to run around in again, not a wee trailer. I’m already feeling clausterphobic after less than 24 hours though. Oh boy, not […]
Can Sage-Grouse Be Saved Without Shutting Down the West?
It struts around, it puffs its chest, but its numbers are plummeting. Governments are struggling to preserve enough habitat to save the bird. When scientist Michael Schroeder was looking for a place to live in eastern Washington State, he chose to be within an hour and a half drive of seven species of grouse, the […]