Nevada Farm Bureau Federation applauds U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell’s announcement today that the Bi-State population of greater sage-grouse will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“We are pleased to see that the work of local, state and federal groups and agencies resulted in the prevention of the sage-grouse listing,” Nevada Farm Bureau President Hank Combs said. “The planned conservation efforts by both government entities and private citizens will allow the species and the agriculture industry to flourish.”
The Bi-State Action Plan, a conservation plan developed by partners in the Bi-State Local Area Working Group, as well as $45 million in funding played a large role in the decision not to list the bird.
“Thanks in large part to the extraordinary efforts of all the partners in the working group to address threats to greater sage-grouse and its habitat in the Bi-State area, our biologists have determined that this population no longer needs ESA protection,” Jewell said. “What’s more, the collaborative, science-based efforts in Nevada and California are proof that we can conserve sagebrush habitat across the West while we encourage sustainable economic development.”
The Bi-State population lives on the California-Nevada border, where between 2,500 and 9,000 of these ground-dwelling birds inhabit about 4.5 million acres of high-desert sagebrush. The birds use a variety of sagebrush habitats throughout the year on private, state and federal lands.
