Number: 2008-05
WHEREAS, the Greater Sage-grouse is a highly sensitive species native to sagebrush ecosystems throughout the West which has experienced a substantial loss of habitat resulting in population declines in recent decades; and
WHEREAS, the Greater Sage-grouse was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2000, was found “not-warranted” for listing by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2005, and a Federal District Court in 2007 remanded that Finding to the USFWS instructing the agency to issue a new Finding by mid- 2009; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation and its western affiliates with Greater Sage-grouse in their states are committed to the long term conservation of Greater Sage-grouse and ensuring that Greater Sage-grouse populations are not allowed to decline to a point which would support listing as Threatened or Endangered; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation and its western affiliates with Greater Sage-grouse in their states support the preservation and improvement of Greater Sage-grouse habitat, as well as grazing and agricultural practices that are not detrimental to Greater Sage-grouse habitat; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation and its western affiliates with Greater Sage-grouse in their states support the responsible development of oil and gas and other energy resources which take into account the requirements of Greater Sage-grouse and their habitat, as well as other wildlife and their habitat needs; and
WHEREAS, all state wildlife agencies with Greater Sage-grouse have expended a great deal of time and resources to develop Greater Sage-grouse conservation plans for their respective states; and
WHEREAS, these state Greater Sage-grouse conservation plans identify similar risk factors for Greater Sage-grouse conservation, including energy development, invasive plants, uncontrolled wildfire, habitat fragmentation and other landscape level impacts; and
WHEREAS, the pace of energy development on public lands has increased substantially since 2000, and is a major government-authorized action negatively affecting Greater Sage-grouse which is increasing exponentially; and
WHEREAS, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the majority of federal Greater Sage-grouse habitat and has been actively leasing and permitting energy drilling of this habitat and
WHEREAS, recent scientific studies on the effects of conventional oil and gas and coal bed methane development in Wyoming and Montana show that the BLM’s standard stipulations and mitigation to protect Greater Sage-grouse are ineffective at sustaining local Greater Sage-grouse populations; and
WHEREAS, representatives of fish and wildlife agencies from a five-state area including Colorado met recently, reviewed the most current published scientific studies and issued a consensus report stating that core Greater Sage-grouse habitat areas need to be designated where no energy development will occur on the surface, that low density (<1 drilling pad per square mile) surface development aids local grouse population persistence, and that geographically-phased development can be used to maintain large functioning blocks of Greater Sage-grouse habitat; and
WHEREAS, these State fish and game agencies concluded that implementation of the best available science “may enhance the likelihood that Greater Sage-grouse populations will persist at levels that allow historic uses such as grazing and agriculture and maintain their current distribution and abundance, thereby avoiding the need to list Greater Sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act.”; and
WHEREAS, the agencies responsible for conservation of Greater Sage-grouse habitat and populations now have the opportunity to develop conservation plans that incorporate the best available science, and provide the greatest opportunity to ensure that Greater Sage-grouse populations are not allowed to decline to a point which would support a listing as Threatened or Endangered; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled May 14-17, 2008, in Keystone, Colorado urges that the BLM and other land management agencies defer energy development within occupied Greater Sage-grouse habitat until new effective stipulations, on and off-site mitigation practices, Resource Management Plans, and other planning documents incorporate the best available science, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NWF encourages state and federal agencies permitting energy development within occupied Greater Sage-grouse habitat, and the energy industry itself, to implement the findings of the five-state panel regarding the best available science on the impacts of energy development so as to ensure the long-term conservation of effective core habitats, and sustainable populations of Greater Sage-grouse.