The future of the greater sage grouse, an iconic species of the American West, is in doubt. Over decades its numbers have dwindled to a mere 150,000 individuals and continue to decline as the birds’ unique habitat, the sagebrush steppe, shrinks. Now, conservation groups, scientists, and concerned citizens are fighting for what might be the species’ last hope for a chance at survival.
The public comment periodjust closed for a new set of management plans proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Unfortunately, the preferred alternative proposed by the agency doesn’t go nearly far enough to ensure the habitat the greater sage grouse needs is conserved. Indeed, it even weakens the plans from the 2015 protection levels. The science shows that absent new conservation measures, the grouse will continue to experience steep declines.
The American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups are championing the designation of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern that would have more durable, comprehensive protections for the habitat most vital to the greater sage grouse. In the lead-up to the proposals from the BLM, conservation groups nominated all priority grouse habitats — 34 million acres — for consideration for designation as a critical environmental area.
The Bureau’s own review recommended what it found to be the most important 11 million acres for grouse conservation, but none of these areas were written into the BLM’s preferred plan. This defies common sense given that the population of greater sage grouse is teetering on the edge of remaining biologically sustainable.
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern are designated areas within BLM-managed lands that require special care and management, often due to the presence of a fragile ecosystem, an imperiled plant or animal species, or to protect sites of historic, religious, or cultural significance. Strategically designating ACECs in the most vital grouse habitat could bring the land and the birds on it under more effective, long-lasting protection.
The plan put forward by the BLM is part of the process of updating the previously approved greater sage grouse management plans dating back to 2015. The Bureau’s preferred alternative would apply to 69 million acres across 10 states, but without the designation of ACECs, it lacks adequate protections and would continue a tradition of grouse management plans creating loopholes for oil and gas drilling, and mining.
We need a new strategy, and a range-wide network of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and strong, science-based habitat protections are our best hopes for the species. The absence of ACECs from the BLM’s plan is deeply concerning.
In many ways, the greater sage grouse mirrors the sagebrush sea it inhabits: on the surface, both look unremarkable, a brown bird on a dry, colorless steppe. The landscape of gently rolling plains carpeted with scraggly, gray-green shrubs looks barren. Despite its drab appearance, the grouse puts on one of the most remarkable courtship displays of any North American bird. And that silvery expanse is as deceptive as the grouse because it is teeming with life: pronghorn and mule deer lope across the arid basins. Endangered pygmy rabbits, North America’s smallest rabbit species, shelter in tangles of sagebrush branches and burrow into the sandy, loamy soil. Nearly 200 migratory birds inhabit the sagebrush sea, including the vulnerable pinyon jay, brewer’s sparrow, sagebrush sparrow, and sage thrasher.
For decades, the greater sage grouse has continued to suffer under a series of management plans that deliver few benefits to the bird. In lieu of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing, in 2015 the BLM adopted management plans that mirrored some of the protections that grouse would have had if the species had been listed. But without the backstop of the ESA, there was no real mechanism in place to require states to abide by those plans. Moreover, the management plans that exist now have been shown to be easily undone: loopholes, exceptions, and carve-outs have rendered them mostly ineffective at protecting grouse.
The effort to protect the greater sage grouse has undergone round after round of planning followed by controversy, and the BLM’s preferred alternative seems destined to continue that cycle. The species’ last, best hope is a plan that fits the bird’s biology, provides long-lasting protection, and closes the loopholes that have plagued other grouse management plans. With ACEC designation, grouse will have the best chance for population stabilization and eventual recovery.
The current administration leadership is urgently needed to break the grouse’s downward spiral and the cycle of ineffective conservation plans. A durable legacy can only be provided by designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Concerned citizens can weigh in to support sage grouse conservation by contacting their representative and senators.
Steve Holmer is the vice president of policy for the American Bird Conservancy. He can be reached at sholmer@abcbirds.org.
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