The Bureau of Land Management is reconsidering a proposal to protect 10 million acres of sage grouse habitat in Oregon and other western states from mining or drilling.
Considered an iconic bird in the western part of the United States, the sage grouse has seen an 80% population decline since 1965, according to OPB. The greater sage grouse is considered threatened, having seen substantial habitat loss and fragmentation over the last 50 years.
"The withdrawal is necessary so that sage grouse can survive for future generations to enjoy, but the protected area needs to be larger to reflect the increasing threats to this magnificent bird. Scientists have recommended protecting all priority sage grouse habitats from all types of mineral extraction disturbance, not just the subset of those areas as proposed in today’s announcement," said Western Watersheds Project energy and mining campaign director Kelly Fuller in a press release.
Decision-making over sage grouse habitat has shifted from president to president. A proposal to protect their habitat was originally conceived under the Obama administration, calling for a withdrawal on "sagebrush focal areas" from mining and drilling plans but required environmental review before implementation. However, it was never finalized before being scrapped by the Trump administration, which opened the land up for various projects.
Following a lawsuit that resulted in a federal judge overturning the Trump administration's decision, the BLM announced it will draft a new environmental impact statement and request public comments to reinstate protections over the sage grouse's habitat.
“This is a good first step toward protecting greater sage grouse, but much more is needed to ensure their survival as a species. These beautiful birds and their ecosystem won’t recover unless the Interior secretary bans mining and drilling in their priority habitat," said Michael Saul of Center for Biological Diversity.
The proposed 10 million acres is a necessary starting point for protecting the sage grouse, according to the BLM.
