Grouse Restoration Imperiled by Overgrazing,BLM’s Livestock Mismanagement Tramples Sage-Grouse Comeback Hopes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday, July 25, 2024

Contact: Chandra Rosenthal [PEER] (303) 898-0798, [email protected];  Josh Osher [WWP] 406-220-2883, [email protected]

Sage-Grouse Restoration Imperiled by Overgrazing

Washington, DC — Commercial livestock grazing throughout the West is among the largest threats dealing with the higher sage-grouse, which is flirting with being listed as an endangered species, in response to an evaluation of U.S, Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) information by Western Watersheds Venture and Public Staff for Environmental Accountability (PEER). BLM’s newest proposal for managing sage-grouse habitat fails to redress the injury wreaked by a long time of poorly managed livestock grazing throughout thousands and thousands of acres of severely degraded sage-grouse habitat.

The higher sage-grouse is a ground-dwelling fowl dependent upon massive tracts of sagebrush with a wholesome understory of grasses and forbs. Its inhabitants has declined precipitously in recent times throughout its complete vary as a result of habitat loss and degradation from livestock grazing, growth, mining, agriculture, and oil and gasoline extraction.

Throughout the 139 million acres of higher sage-grouse habitat spanning eight western states, BLM manages over 10,000 grazing allotments. The teams’ evaluation of BLM information reveals:

·       One quarter of higher sage-grouse habitat overlaying greater than 36 million acres (an space equal to Michigan) are in allotments failing to fulfill BLM’s personal rangeland well being normal, the minimal necessities for wholesome and functioning ecosystems;

·       Of these, about 23 million acres (roughly the dimensions of Illinois) inside higher sage-grouse habitat fail BLM’s rangeland well being requirements as a result of livestock overgrazing; and 

·       Nearly 17 million acres (an space bigger than West Virginia) inside higher sage-grouse habitat have by no means been evaluated by BLM because it started conducting these land well being evaluations in 1998, greater than 25 years in the past.

“If it desires to stop the sage-grouse from being listed as an endangered species, the BLM must get critical about stopping livestock overgrazing,” commented PEER Rocky Mountain Director Chandra Rosenthal, noting that such a list would impose restrictions on a variety of business exercise in sage-grouse habitat. “As their very own information factors out, BLM’s efforts are falling nicely brief because the sage-grouse is actually dropping floor.”

Even within the face of overwhelming proof of habitat degradation attributable to livestock grazing, most BLM grazing permits in higher sage-grouse habitat are re-approved each ten years with none new ecological assessments or adjustments in vary administration. For almost twenty years, BLM has been exploiting a loophole supplied by Congress to handle the backlog of allow renewals, which was meant as a short-term repair however is now an institutional agency-wide apply. In consequence, many grazing allotments have gone almost 30 years with none evaluate or administration adjustments.

Regardless of commitments within the 2015 land use plans to prioritize the evaluation of grazing allotments in vital sage-grouse habitat, BLM has dropped the ball. It has used the loophole to resume 6,301 grazing permits overlaying 70 million acres (an space roughly the dimensions of Nevada) in higher sage-grouse habitat with out conducting the promised environmental analyses. These rubber stamped renewals account for greater than two-thirds (68%) of all grazing permits.

At a 2022 Public Lands Council assembly, BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning acknowledged that 20-year-old grazing permits are problematic. But, BLM’s most up-to-date sage grouse proposal didn’t prioritize the evaluate of allow renewals in sage grouse habitat. The backlog has continued to develop.

“For many years the BLM has been hiding behind this insidious loophole to disregard the impacts of grazing on sage-grouse habitat,” stated Josh Osher, Public Coverage Director at Western Watersheds Venture.  “The result’s an ecosystem on life help and an iconic species getting ready to extinction. We hope BLM will strengthen the brand new sage-grouse plans to handle the problems.”

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Learn the 12 teams feedback on the Draft Useful resource Administration Plan Modification