4/16/2004~U.S. = Fish and Wildlife Service to Initiate a Status Review of the Greater = Sage-Grouse(Final)

U.S.=20 Fish & Wildlife Service

3D"U.S. News
Release =
April = 16,=20 2004

U.S. = Fish and Wildlife=20 Service to Initiate a Status Review of the Greater=20 Sage-Grouse(Final)

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Contacts

Pat=20 Deibert 307-772-2374 x26

Diane=20 Katzenberger 303-236-4578

Sharon=20 Rose 303-236-4580

Joan=20 Jewett 503-231-6211

Jenny=20 Valdivia 503-231-6297

The = U.S. Fish=20 and Wildlife Service has determined that substantial=20 biological information exists to warrant a more = in-depth=20 examination of the status of greater sage grouse. This = finding=20 will commence with a full status review of the = species, and=20 once the review is complete, the Service will = determine=20 whether to propose listing the species as either = threatened or=20 endangered.

The = Service has=20 completed its evaluation of three petitions to list = the=20 greater sage-grouse range wide as either threatened or = endangered. The Service has determined that the = petitions and=20 other available information provide substantial = biological=20 information indicating that further review of the = status of=20 the species is warranted. =

The = information=20 details loss, fragmentation, and degradation of = sage-grouse=20 habitat due to wildfire, invasion of non-native = plants,=20 livestock management, agricultural conversion, = herbicide=20 treatment and mining and energy development, among = other=20 causes.

The = Service=E2=80=99s=20 decision commonly known as a 90-Day Finding is based = on=20 scientific information about the species provided in = three=20 petitions requesting listing of the species under the=20 Act.

The = Service is=20 preparing to send this finding to the Federal=20 Register.

AIt=20 is important to note that our finding regarding these=20 petitions does not mean that the Service has decided = it is=20 appropriate to list the greater sage grouse, explained = Ralph=20 Morgenweck, the Service=E2=80=99s Director of the = Mountain-Prairie=20 Region. ARather,=20 this finding is the first step in a long process that = triggers=20 a more thorough review of all the biological = information=20 available. This process, which includes a request for = input=20 from the public, should be completed within 12 months = of=20 receiving the petitions.

This status=20 review will determine whether the greater sage-grouse = warrants=20 listing as a threatened or endangered = species.

To = ensure this=20 status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting = information=20 from State and Federal natural resource agencies and = all=20 interested parties regarding the greater sage-grouse = and its=20 sagebrush habitat, Morgenweck added.

Based on the=20 status review, the Service will make one of three = possible=20 determinations:

1) Listing is = not=20 warranted in which case no further action will be=20 taken.

2) Listing as = threatened=20 or endangered is warranted. In this case, the Service = will=20 publish a proposal to list, solicit independent = scientific=20 peer review of the proposal, seek input from the = public, and=20 consider the input before a final decision about = listing the=20 species is made. Generally, there is a one-year period = between=20 the time a species is proposed and the final=20 decision.

3)   = Listing is=20 warranted but precluded by other, higher priority = activities.=20 This means the species is added to the Federal list of = candidate species, and the proposal to list is = deferred while=20 the Service works on listing proposals for other = species that=20 are at greater risk. =20 A warranted but precluded finding requires = subsequent=20 annual reviews of the finding until such time as = either a=20 listing proposal is published, or a not warranted = finding is=20 made based on new information.

Concern about=20 long-term declines in sage-grouse populations has = prompted=20 western State wildlife agencies and Federal agencies = such as=20 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest = Service, and=20 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to engage in a variety = of=20 cooperative efforts aimed at conserving and managing = sagebrush=20 habitat for the benefit of sage-grouse and other=20 sagebrush-dependent species:

=C2=B7       =20 For example, over the past five = years,=20 the BLM has worked with several western states on = cooperative=20 sage-grouse conservation projects and has established=20 partnerships with communities throughout the West to = conserve=20 and restore sage-grouse habitat. These locally-driven = efforts=20 are designed to head off continued loss of = America=E2=80=99s important=20 sagebrush ecosystems, which support hundreds of plant = and=20 animal species, including sage-grouse.

=C2=B7       =20 Approximately one half of the = sagebrush=20 habitat in the United States is on land administered = by the=20 BLM. This year, BLM will continue to work on a variety = of=20 projects to map and monitor sage-grouse populations = and=20 habitat, develop cooperative conservation projects to = conserve=20 these game birds, and work with State and Federal = partners on=20 other conservation planning = initiatives.

=C2=B7       =20 The Western Association of Fish = and=20 Wildlife Agencies is leading the preparation of a = range wide=20 conservation assessment of the sage-grouse and = sagebrush=20 habitat, with strong cooperation from the Federal = agencies.=20 The assessment, scheduled for completion in May of = this year,=20 will be a valuable source of information regarding = sage-grouse=20 ecology.

=C2=B7       =20 Western states that include = portions of=20 the current range of sage-grouse are developing = conservation=20 plans to address issues such as habitat loss, = fragmentation,=20 and degradation, and to identify opportunities for = habitat=20 restoration and enhancement. The goal is to find and = implement=20 local solutions for sage-grouse = conservation.

=C2=B7       =20 Since 2001 the Service has = provided Utah=20 with $2.4 million and Washington with $730,000 for the = restoration of sagebrush habitat. Through its = Landowner=20 Incentive Program, the Service also provided $1.4 = million to=20 Montana to improve the management of sagebrush habitat = on=20 private lands there.

=C2=B7       =20 The Shoshone and Arapaho tribes, = on the=20 Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, will use part of a = recently=20 awarded $190,000 Tribal Wildlife Grant to monitor = sage-grouse=20 populations, develop a management plan for the grouse = and its=20 habitat, and enhance the sagebrush = ecosystem.

Sage-grouse=20 depend almost entirely on sagebrush for food and = protection=20 from predators. =20 In the summer, the birds depend on the grass = and plants=20 that grow under the sagebrush to provide nesting = material, as=20 well as high-protein insects that are critical to the = diet of=20 chicks in their first month of life. In winter, more = than 99=20 percent of their diet is sagebrush leaves and=20 buds.

Greater=20 sage-grouse are found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, = Montana,=20 North Dakota, eastern California, Nevada, Utah, = western=20 Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. They are also = found in the=20 Canadian province of Alberta.

The = greater=20 sage-grouse is found at elevations ranging from 4,000 = to over=20 9,000 feet. = First=20 described by Lewis and Clark during their expedition = that Egan=20 in 1804, it is an inhabitant of the open sagebrush = plains. It=20 is a large, rounded-winged, ground-dwelling bird, up = to 30=20 inches in length and two feet fall, weighing from two = to seven=20 pounds. It has a long, pointed tail with legs = feathered to the=20 base of the toes. Females are a mottled brown, lack, = and white=20 color. Males are larger and have a large white ruff = around=20 their neck and bright yellow air sacks on their = breasts, which=20 they inflate during their mating = display.

Anyone wishing=20 to submit information regarding the greater = sage-grouse may do=20 so by writing to the Field Supervisor, Wyoming = Ecological=20 Services Office, 4000 Airport = Parkway, Cheyenne,=20 Wyoming=20 82001 = or by=20 electronic mail to: fw6_sagegrouse@fws.gov. Comments = must be=20 received within 60 days after publication of this = finding in=20 the Federal=20 Register.

For = more=20 information about the sage-grouse and this finding, = please=20 visit the Service=E2=80=99s web site at. http://= mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/irds/sagegrouse/

The = U.S. Fish=20 and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency=20 responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing = fish,=20 wildlife and plants and their habitats for the = continuing=20 benefit of the American people. The Service manages = the=20 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which = encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands = of small=20 wetlands and other special management areas. It also = operates=20 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 fishery resource = offices and=20 81 ecological services field stations. The agency = enforces=20 Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered = Species Act,=20 manages migratory bird populations, restores = nationally=20 significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife = habitat=20 such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with = their=20 conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid = program=20 that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in = excise=20 taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State fish = and=20 wildlife agencies.

For more information about the U.S. = Fish and=20 Wildlife Service,

visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov

-FWS-

Questions=20 and Answers

Regarding=20 the Petitions to List the Greater=20 Sage-Grouse

What is the = Service=E2=80=99s=20 finding regarding the petitions to list the Greater=20 Sage-Grouse?

The = U. S. Fish=20 and Wildlife Service has received three petitions to = list the=20 greater sage-grouse as threatened or endangered = throughout its=20 range. The Service has found that the petitions = provide=20 sufficient information that listing may be warranted = and will=20 begin a status review of the species.

This is the=20 first step in the process to determine whether or not = the=20 greater sage-grouse should receive protection under = the=20 Endangered Species Act. =20

For = more=20 information about the petition and listing process = visit the=20 Service=E2=80=99s web site at:

http://endangered= .fws.gov/listing/petition.pdf

Sage Grouse=20 Information

What is the = greater=20 sage-grouse?

The = greater=20 sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a = large,=20 ground-dwelling bird. Measuring as much as 30 inches = in length=20 and two feet tall, it weighs from two to seven = pounds. It has a = long, pointed=20 tail with legs feathered to the base of the toes and = fleshy=20 yellow combs over the eyes. Males are = larger than=20 females and sport a white ruff around their necks in = addition=20 to the typical mottled brown, black and white=20 plumage.

The = greater=20 sage-grouse is found at elevations ranging from 4,000 = to over=20 9,000 feet. = It is=20 an omnivore, eating mainly sagebrush, some other soft = plants,=20 and insects. One of the most interesting aspects of = the=20 greater sage-grouse is its nearly complete reliance on = sagebrush. = These=20 birds cannot survive in areas where sagebrush no = longer=20 exists. =20

What is the = range of the=20 greater sage-grouse?

The = historic=20 range of the greater sage-grouse included Washington, = Oregon,=20 California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, = Utah,=20 South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, = Nebraska, New=20 Mexico, Arizona, and the Canadian provinces of British = Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Greater = sage-grouse=20 have apparently disappeared from Nebraska, Kansas, = Oklahoma,=20 New Mexico, Arizona, British Columbia and=20 Saskatchewan.

Why are we = concerned=20 about greater sage-grouse?

Recent=20 estimates indicate that greater sage-grouse = populations have=20 declined by approximately 86 percent from historic=20 levels. =20

One = of the=20 greatest threats to greater sage-grouse populations = may be the=20 destruction and loss of sagebrush habitat. Sagebrush = once covered=20 approximately 156 million acres in western North=20 American. =20 Research indicates that almost none of the = remaining=20 habitat is unaltered. =20 Approximately one-half of the original area = occupied by=20 greater sage-grouse is no longer capable of supporting = greater=20 sage-grouse on a year-round basis.

Why is = sagebrush habitat=20 so important to greater = sage-grouse?

Greater=20 sage-grouse depend almost entirely on sagebrush for = food,=20 shelter, and protection from predators. In the summer, = this=20 species depends on the grass and plants that grow = under the=20 sagebrush to provide nesting material and cover, as = well as=20 high-protein insects for food. These insects are a = critical=20 food source for chicks in their first month of = life. In winter, = more than=20 99 percent of their diet is sagebrush leaves and=20 buds.

Although=20 sagebrush may seem hardy, it can take years to recover = once it=20 is removed by fire or other causes. A number of = other=20 species also depend on sagebrush habitat, including = brewer=E2=80=99s=20 sparrow, burrowing owls, long-billed curlews, sage = sparrows,=20 sage thrashers, loggerhead shrikes, and pygmy=20 rabbits.

What are the = threats to=20 the greater sage-grouse?

Threats to the=20 greater sage-grouse may include loss and = degradation of=20 sagebrush habitat due to wildfire, invasion of = non-native=20 plants, poor livestock management, agricultural = conversion,=20 and mining and energy development among other = causes.=20

Will this = finding impact=20 hunting seasons for greater = sage-grouse?

Hunting seasons=20 for sage grouse are regulated by State fish and = wildlife=20 agencies.

What is being = done to=20 conserve greater sage-grouse?

Concern about=20 long-term declines in greater sage-grouse populations = has=20 prompted western State wildlife agencies and Federal = agencies=20 such as the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest = Service,=20 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to engage in a = variety of=20 cooperative efforts aimed at conserving and managing = sagebrush=20 habitat for the benefit of greater sage-grouse and = other=20 sagebrush-dependent species.

For=20 example, over the past five years, the Bureau of = Land=20 Management has worked with several western states on = cooperative sage-grouse conservation projects and = has=20 established partnerships with communities throughout = the=20 West to conserve and restore sage-grouse habitat. = These=20 locally driven efforts are designed to head off = continued=20 loss of America=E2=80=99s important sagebrush = ecosystems, which=20 support hundreds of plant and animal species, = including=20 sage-grouse.
Approximately=20 one-half of the sagebrush habitat in the=20 United=20 States is on land=20 administered by the Bureau of Land Management. This = year,=20 BLM will continue to work on a variety of projects = to map=20 and monitor sage-grouse populations and habitat, = develop=20 cooperative conservation projects to conserve these = game=20 birds, and work with state and Federal partners on = other=20 conservation planning = initiatives.

The=20 Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is = leading=20 preparation of a range wide conservation assessment = of the=20 sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat, with strong = cooperation=20 from the Federal agencies. The assessment, scheduled = for=20 completion in May of this year, will be a valuable = source of=20 information regarding sage-grouse=20 ecology.

Western=20 States that include portions of the current range of = sage-grouse are developing conservation plans to = address=20 issues such as habitat loss, fragmentation, and = degradation,=20 and to identify opportunities for habitat = restoration and=20 enhancement. The goal is to find and implement local = solutions for sage-grouse = conservation.

Since=20 2001 the Service has provided Utah with $2.4 million = and=20 Washington with $730,000 for the restoration of = sagebrush=20 habitat. =20 Through its Landowner Incentive Program, the = Service=20 also provided $1.4 million to Montana to improve the = management of sagebrush habitat on private lands = there.=20

The=20 Shoshone and Arapaho tribes, on the Wind River = Reservation=20 in Wyoming, will use part of a recently awarded = $190,000=20 Tribal Wildlife Grant to monitor sage-grouse = populations,=20 develop a management plan for the grouse and its = habitat,=20 and enhance the sagebrush = ecosystem.

Petition=20 Information

The = Endangered=20 Species Act directs that to the maximum extent = possible,=20 within 90 days of receiving a petition, the Service is = to make=20 a finding as to whether the petition contains = sufficient=20 biological information to indicate that further review = of the=20 status of the species is warranted. This is = known as a 90-day = finding.

What = information did the=20 Service use to make this 90-day = finding?

The = Service=20 examined the information contained in and referenced = by the=20 petitions, along with information in its files, to = make the=20 90-day finding. This included information previously = received=20 from the States within the greater sage-grouse = range. =

Does this = 90-day finding=20 constitute a final decision to list the greater=20 sage-grouse?

No. = The 90-day=20 finding is not a decision to list the greater=20 sage-grouse. = This=20 is the first step in the process to determine whether = or not=20 the greater sage grouse should be listed as a = threatened or=20 endangered species. =20

The = Service=20 will now conduct a comprehensive range wide status = review of=20 the greater sage-grouse. The result of this review, = known as a=20 12-month finding, should be completed by early = 2005. During this process the = Service=20 will consider input submitted from the States, other = Federal=20 agencies, and the public.

What = information will the=20 Service use to make the 12-month = finding?

During this=20 status review, the Service will solicit all available=20 information on the species=E2=80=99 status, trends, = and threats. The 12-month = finding=20 will be based on all available data, including the = additional=20 information gathered during the public comment = period. =

State=20 conservation assessments and management plans as well = as other=20 efforts related to greater sage-grouse conservation = activities=20 on Federal, Tribal, and private lands will be = considered=20 during this decision-making process.

What are the = possible=20 outcomes of the 12-month finding?

Based on the=20 status review, the Service will make one of three = possible=20 determinations regarding the greater=20 sage-grouse:

1) Listing is = not=20 warranted =E2=80=93 in which case no further action = will be=20 taken.

2) Listing as = threatened=20 or endangered is warranted. In this case, the Service = will=20 polish a proposal to list, solicit independent = scientific peer=20 review of the proposal, seek input from the public, = and=20 consider the input before a final decision about = listing the=20 species is made. Generally, there is a one-year period = between=20 the time a species is proposed and the final=20 decision.

3)   = Listing is=20 warranted but precluded by other, higher priority = activities.=20 This means the species is added to the Federal list of = candidate species, and the proposal to list is = deferred while=20 the Service works on listing proposals for other = species that=20 are at greater risk. =20 A warranted but precluded finding requires = subsequent=20 annual reviews of the finding until such time as = either a=20 listing proposal is published, or a not warranted = finding is=20 made based on new information.

How do I submit = comments=20 on Service=E2=80=99s 12-month = finding?

Information=20 regarding the petitions to list the greater = sage-grouse and=20 the Service=E2=80=99s 90-day finding are available on = the Service=E2=80=99s=20 web site at: =20

http:/= /mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/sagegrouse/

Anyone=20 wishing to submit information regarding the greater=20 sage-grouse may do so by writing to the Field = Supervisor,=20 Wyoming Ecological Services Office,=20 4000=20 Airport Parkway,=20 Cheyenne,=20 Wyoming=20 82001=20 or by electronic mail to: fw6_sagegrouse@fws.gov. Comments = must be=20 received within 60 days after publication of this = finding in=20 the Federal=20 Register.

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