The Nevada Wilderness Project last week attended a briefing session sponsored by the Governor’s office to hear federal and state regulators reassure state officials, citizens and stakeholders that they are working hard to prevent the sage grouse from being declared an endangered species.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service determined in 2010 that an Endangered Species Act listing was warranted for the sage grouse. But its listing was precluded because the government felt other species were more endangered.

Even before that ruling, the NWP was working to bring various agencies and stakeholders together to find solutions to the problems plaguing the bird, including wildfire, pinyon-juniper encroachment, infrastructure development, disease and other issues. NWP staff wildlife biologist Gregg Tanner has been working on this issue since 2000, when he was with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and has continued this effort since joining NWP.

Gregg, NWP Executive Director Jeneane Harter, and NWP Conservation Director John Tull all attended the briefing session. Representatives from mining, ranching, farming and energy development, as well as various state and federal agencies, were also on hand in the crowded legislative hearing room in Carson City.

“I came away with the impression that people are beginning to pay attention,” Gregg said. “People are beginning to understand that we can’t tromp on the sage grouse.”

An Endangered Species Act listing would bring a wide variety of activities on public lands in Nevada to a halt, potentially including mining, renewable energy development and other activities. This issue is much broader than Nevada, however; the greater sage grouse population stretches across 11 Western States, and the bistate sage grouse population along the Nevada and California is particularly imperiled.

NWP will be involved as a catalyst to bring groups together to develop ambitious conservation plans that will prevent the bird from being listed.