Wyoming's Plan to Reduce Sage Grouse Protection Sparks Concerns
Wyoming's plans to amend resource management have sparked concerns about the future of the sage grouse. The state aims to reduce federal protection of critical habitats like the 'Golden Triangle' in the Red Desert, shifting management authority to the state and allowing more energy development. This move could increase threats to the sage grouse, which is already facing significant population declines and habitat threats.
The Golden Triangle in the Red Desert is home to one of the highest densities of sage grouse on the planet. However, from 2001 to 2020, invasive grasses, wildfires, and energy development transformed 1.3 million acres of sagebrush landscape annually, posing a significant threat to the species' habitat. Climate change and megadroughts further exacerbate the situation, increasing pressure from invasive species like cheatgrass.
Wyoming, one of the nation's top fossil fuel producers and its top coal producer, has seen sage grouse populations decline by 80 percent since 1965, with fewer than 800,000 remaining in the West. The Trump administration's amendment to the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan potentially allowed more energy development in critical sage grouse habitat. Now, the Biden administration has proposed changes to the sage grouse habitat plan, including eliminating certain 'priority habitat management areas' and turning management over to states. Kathleen Sgamma, Trump's initial choice to helm the BLM, applauded these revisions. However, the Bureau of Land Management has not yet responded to questions about the proposed changes.
Wyoming's plans to reduce federal protection of critical sage grouse habitats and shift management authority to the state could lead to increased energy development in these areas. With sage grouse populations already at critical levels and facing numerous habitat threats, the future of the species in Wyoming remains uncertain.
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