WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced on Friday, Nov. 8, that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published proposed updates to strengthen conservation and management of greater sage-grouse habitat on public lands.
The BLM manages the largest single share of greater sage-grouse habitat in the U.S. — nearly 65 million acres.
According to the DOI, the proposed updates are based on scientific studies and input from the states and Tribal and federal partners. The final environmental impact statement outlines a new approach for managing greater sage-grouse populations in 10 western states, including Wyoming. The proposal will initiate clean energy projects to combat climate change — a main driver of greater sage-grouse habitat loss, according to the BLM.
Management updates include working with the Public Lands Rule (which prioritizes conservation along with mining and energy development), Renewable Energy Rule and the proposed Western Solar Plan to help conserve sagebrush habitat.
“This remarkable species and the people who live, work and play alongside it deserve management that will sustain sagebrush habitat across the West for years to come,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said. “Our environmental analysis, aided by a wealth of information from our partners, indicates that these proposed updates — which are the result of decades of sustained collaborative efforts — are the best way to ensure the health of these lands and local economies now and into the future.”
The DOI said via press release that sage-grouse populations have continued to decline, largely due to habitat loss exacerbated by climate impacts such as drought, increasingly intense wildfires and invasive species.
“Conserving sagebrush habitat benefits more than 350 other wildlife species and supports the livelihoods and traditions of Western communities,” the DOI said in the announcement. “Species like elk, mule deer, pronghorn and pygmy rabbit rely on the same habitat to survive, and sagebrush lands contain headwaters for some of the West’s major river systems and the aquatic species they sustain.”
The BLM considered roughly 38,000 comments from the public on the draft environmental analysis during more than 100 meetings held over two years. States also contributed data and scientific information that helped frame direction on adaptive management and mitigation requirements, and supported updates to the boundaries of habitat management areas. The BLM engaged in government-to-government consultation and held informational briefings for Tribal governments throughout the process.
Planning documents are available for review at the BLM National NEPA Register.
Protests of the proposed amendments can be filed until Dec. 9 at the BLM Filing a Plan Protest page. Following resolution of valid protests and responses to governors’ reviews for consistency with state and local plans, the BLM will issue Records of Decision for each state where habitat management plans are being updated.
