Are latest land-use plans for the birds?

Bureau of Land Management releases draft plans in National Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy

WASHINGTON (November 1, 2013) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released three more of the 15 draft land use plans and environmental impact statements that comprise its National Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy. The strategy is intended to guide management of tens of millions of acres of federal public lands in the West and will ultimately determine the fate of the imperiled greater sage-grouse. The latest plans cover 31 million acres of publicly owned sage-grouse habitat in parts of five states.

The following is a statement from Mark Salvo, Federal Lands Policy Analyst, Defenders of Wildlife:

“If done right, the national planning strategy could be a huge success and have positive implications not only for sage-grouse but also hundreds of other wildlife species that live on federal public lands. Unfortunately, the latest plans appear to prescribe more of the same inadequate conservation measures that we have seen in most of the other plans released to date.

“It’s Conservation 101– protecting species requires a comprehensive planning approach that secures habitat and effectively manages harmful land uses. Simply tweaking existing land-use management in minor ways will not save the sage-grouse.”

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Contact: Courtney Sexton, (202)-772-0523 csexton@defenders.org

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.