It’s been five years since Governor Matt Mead signed an executive order giving special protections to the state’s greater sage grouse populations. Now that order says it’s time to re-evaluate the plan and make sure it’s actually doing its job. The goal is to convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife not to list the grouse as an endangered species come September 30.
That’s when a federal court says the agency must make its decision. And that's why the state's sage grouse team has been hosting a series of meetings all over the state throughout the month of April. I talked to wildlife reporter Angus Thuermer Jr. who's been covering the meetings. He's a reporter for WyoFile, an online magazine about Wyoming. We discussed what Wyoming has been doing to save the bird and what hurdles are still ahead.
Addtional Links
Edward O' Garton's "Greater Sage Grouse Population Dynamics and Probability ofPersistance" commissioned by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
A Environmentand Energy Daily website article about the Garton study predicting extinction ofsage grousein the Powder River Basin in the next 30 years.
