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Sage Grouse Does Not Need Protection, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Says

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The federal government made a long-awaited decision today on a chicken-sized bird. The greater sage-grouse will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Rangers and the energy industry worry that doing so would've cost billions of dollars in lost income. The decision received a warm welcome during a ceremony near Denver. But as Colorado Public Radio's Grace Hood explains, no everyone is happy with this outcome.

GRACE HOOD, BYLINE: Western governors, federal biologists, ranchers and environmentalists - they all came to Denver to celebrate a key moment for the greater sage-grouse - a negotiated conservation plan. U.S. Department of Interior secretary Sally Jewell says the Endangered Species Act served as a catalyst for that decision.

SALLY JEWELL: So that's what we've seen today - thoughtful law galvanizing individuals to not only save a species, but also the entire landscape and heritage of the American West.

HOOD: About half of the greater sage-grouse's habitat is on federal lands. Jewell says nearly 100 separate-but-related management plans pave an important path forward. So will additional work by ranchers on private land, ranchers like Duane Coombs of Nevada who called the decision good governance.

DUANE COOMBS: Good governance empowers communities. It gives dignity to those at the bottom rungs of society. It gives dignity to those - the little people.

HOOD: The potential listing of the greater sage-grouse has been compared to those of the Northern spotted owl and the gray wolf. A listing could've tied up access to millions of acres of land across the West, affecting the energy industry and ranching. Audubon Rockies executive director Brian Rutledge says even though the bird isn't being listed, this plan will help save the species.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BRIAN RUTLEDGE: Today, we start to bind up the wounds. We stop the bleeding. We move forward in a way where we can study and learn and develop and protect as we go.

HOOD: But today's announcement may mark the beginning of lawsuits by people who think that the conservation efforts don't go far enough. Travis Bruner with Western Watersheds Project says his organization is considering legal action to get more protections for the bird.

TRAVIS BRUNER: Believe that the - a decision short of listing is really not a science-based decision, and that's what the official Wildlife Service is charged with making.

HOOD: Lawsuits could also come from the energy industry based on how today's announcement affects federal lands near sage-grouse habitat. Some in that industry think the compromise protections may go too far. For NPR News, I'm Grace Hood in Denver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.