Sage Grouse Rules Having Unintended Consequences

Public comments are being accepted regarding rules on sage grouse preservation in the U.S.

Ethan Lane, Executive Director of the Public Lands Council said it’s a much needed conversation.

“If you follow the conversations and the good faith negotiations that occurred with the states, as that process unfolded grazing was never intended to be a target of those plans and yet what we’ve seen is that as they’re currently written, we’re dead in the center of the crosshairs.”

Lane also noted that the rules and restrictions in place have made the protected lands more prone to extreme wildfires.

What can be done? Lane said there are some basic steps.

“Going back in and working to eliminate the impact of some of these problem areas in those plans, whether that’s the habitat objectives table with the seven inch stubble high requirements or some of those sage grouse protected areas is really going to help us get where we need to be and make sure we can keep the sage grouse off the endangered species list but also make sure we keep ranchers out on the ground at the same time.”

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