[ODFW-News] Federal announcement supports future state management of Oregon sage-grouse

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contacts: Information and Education 503-947-6002
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us 


For Immediate Release	Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004

Federal announcement supports future state management of Oregon
sage-grouse

SALEM - Last Friday's announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service that senior biologists recommended the greater sage-grouse not
be listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act
provides the flexibility necessary for Oregon to continue state-led
conservation efforts on the bird's behalf.

The recommendation was made in response to three petitions brought by
environmental organizations to add sage-grouse to the endangered species
list across its 11-state range. Federal officials will make a final
listing decision on sage-grouse by year's end.

Once common throughout the West, the number of sage-grouse has declined
from about 1.1 million in 1800 to between 142,000 and 500,000 currently.
The primary cause for the decline is loss of the sagebrush habitat on
which the ground-dwelling birds depend for survival. The West has lost
more than half of its original 300 million acres of sagebrush due to
human activities, wildfire and the spread of noxious weeds.

Oregon contains nearly 20 percent of the sage-grouse habitat in the
United States. The state's sage-grouse population declined until the
early 1970s; since then it has remained relatively stable at 30,000 to
45,000 birds despite fluctuations due to natural conditions.

The state has maintained the sage-grouse population using a cautious
and flexible management approach that includes controlled hunting
seasons more conservative than most in the West and a proactive
relationship with livestock grazers and others who live and work in
Oregon's sage-grouse country.

"As a wildlife agency, we have elevated sage-grouse to a very high
level of concern," said Ron Anglin, Wildlife Division administrator
for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "ODFW has collected
comprehensive data on sage-grouse to use in making sound management
decisions."

A federal ESA listing of sage-grouse would effectively turn management
over to the federal government, limiting the role of stage agencies and
restricting activities on lands that contain the species' habitat. In
Oregon, sage-grouse occupy sagebrush habitat in the southeast corner of
the state, as far west as Deschutes County and as far north as Union
County. About 67 percent of the bird's habitat is located on Bureau of
Land Management lands and 26 percent on private property, with the
remainder on Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, state and
other lands.

Federal officials are recommending sage-grouse not be listed, because
they did not find the birds endangered - defined as in immediate danger
of becoming extinct - or likely to become endangered within the
foreseeable future. A final decision not to list the species would
support the ongoing collaboration between Oregon and other states that
are members of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies on
comprehensive, state-led conservation strategies for sage-grouse.

To that end, Oregon is developing a statewide sage-grouse and sagebrush
habitat conservation plan that is due out by the end of this year for
public comment. Oregon biologists are writing the plan in cooperation
with landowners and representatives of state and federal entities,
including the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council, a federal
committee that advises BLM on land management issues.

"The management goal of the plan is to maintain sage-grouse habitat
and conduct enhancement and restoration projects," said ODFW
sage-grouse conservation coordinator Christian Hagen. "The strategy
relies on actions that are driven and implemented at the local
level."

Although recognizing that past management practices have degraded
sagebrush habitat in some areas, Anglin noted that the state and private
landowners can act to benefit sage-grouse. The Western Governors
Association published examples of these efforts in "Conserving the
Greater Sage Grouse: Examples of Partnerships and Strategies at Work
across the West." Information on Oregon initiatives is available at
www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/grouse/OR.pdf. 

Actions include management of juniper, a native tree that expands into
the sagebrush steppe in the absence of natural fire cycles. In Harney
County, landowners have been active in controlling juniper on at least
2500 acres of private land.

In Malheur County, replacement of windmill wells with solar pumps
allowed water to be piped to a newly developed area of ponds and troughs
that covers approximately 4000 acres. Spreading water over a larger area
should provide a balanced distribution of livestock grazing and watering
activities. The wetland areas will be seeded to provide wildlife
habitat.

"A lot of landowners are seeing the advantage of working
cooperatively with state agencies rather than dealing with the
regulatory hammer of the federal government," Anglin said. "By
pursuing voluntary efforts to restore habitat, they contribute to
recovering sage-grouse populations and preventing a federal decision to
list the species."

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