6 minute read
Message from the Natural Resources Policy Director
Trouble is back on the horizon with the sage grouse issue
BY KAREN WILLIAMS ICA Natural Resources Policy Director
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ICA will keep speaking the truth about the bird’s habitat and threats, and those with grazing permits must stay active
One year into the Biden administration and we continue to feel the dizzying effects brought on by a revolving door of elections and a new party in power. During the Trump administration, headway was made for agriculture producers as critical regulations were reformed. Damaging regulations put into place during the Obama administration, including the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the overarching sage grouse federal land management plans, were repealed and replaced.
During that time frame, we also saw some important and needed updates to the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. As the world turns, in one year, the replaced WOTUS has now been repealed, the NEPA and ESA improvements have been undone. The latest news is that the Biden administration is considering rolling back the sage grouse rule to the 2015 Obama version. And so we prepare to delve back into the two decades-long fight over how to manage habitat for a struggling species.
To offer a very brief rundown of the recent history of the sage grouse management carousel, in 2015 sage grouse federal land management plans were issued. The plans largely overlooked the Idaho state plan, which had been crafted through careful and deliberate collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders and government officials. It also called for the implementation of restrictive sagebrush focal areas and sought to regulate grazing in a way that was not only unnecessary for the species, but also unfounded in science.
For that reason, when a new president was elected in 2016, we worked diligently to roll back those plans. That goal was accomplished, for the most part, in 2019, when the plans were updated; for Idaho, they closely mirrored the state plan and the agreed-upon recommendations. As expected, litigation ensued, and the plans were never implemented, as various lawsuits languished in court.
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT RESTARTS LAND MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Since the election of President Biden, we have waited with bated breath for the moment when the sage grouse issue would resurrect. Given the yo-yo history of the species’ management, and the obvious intentions of extremist organizations to use it as a tool to limit land-use activities, it came as no surprise that in late November 2021, the Bureau of Land Management announced its intent to undertake the process to amend the sage grouse land management plan – again.
The announcement opened a scoping process to solicit public comments, which just came to a close on Feb. 7. This latest effort will open a months- to years-long undertaking to go through the required NEPA processes to amend the plans. There will be additional opportunities to provide public comment, and we will continue to encourage our membership to engage in this process.
This initial comment period offered the chance to provide information to the BLM explaining the
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necessity of not restricting grazing due to the presence of sage grouse, to exhort them to lean on the collaboratively developed and federally approved state plan, and to offer additional insight and scientific information regarding the real threats to the species.
In our comments, ICA highlighted the following key points related to sage grouse habitat: ● The 2019 amendments brought the plan into alignment with our Idaho state plan and fixed many of the top concerns, including eliminating sagebrush focal areas and bringing the management of grazing in sage grouse habitat into proper perspective. ● Through its existing framework and rangeland health standards, BLM already has the adequate mechanisms in place to manage grazing in sage grouse habitat. The additionality created in the 2015 plan was not only unnecessary, but also created an uncertain future for grazing permits and the livelihoods of those who own them. ● Grazing is only a secondary threat to sage grouse and only then if done so improperly. It is important to incentivize good grazing practices rather than punish or limit grazing. ● Heavy emphasis on vegetation height without a comprehensive explanation in the documentation of the numerous reasons for variation in vegetation height will single out livestock grazing as the single impact. This is not realistic or defensible, and vegetation height is not an effective measurement for long-term rangeland health. Further, emerging research shows that livestock grazing does not negatively impact nesting success. ● Grazing is not only a vital tool, but it is the most efficient and effective tool in reducing fine fuel loads. In addi-
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tion, in Idaho’s sage grouse habitat, ranchers provide vital resources in preventing the spread of catastrophic wildfire through their involvement in Rangeland Fire Protection Associations. Wildfire is the primary threat to sage grouse habitat. BLM should not take any action that would limit or negatively impact its best tool in fighting against the species’ primary threat.
In addition to leaning on these points that we have continually emphasized over the years, our recent comments brought to light what we perceive to be the primary threat limiting the species.
TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THE SPECIES’ BIGGEST THREAT: PREDATORS
It is no secret that the sage grouse population has struggled in the past few years. During those same years, there has never been a more massive undertaking to meet about, and study and revamp, habitat management. With all this effort, why are there not greater results? In our opinion, it is time to take a fresh look at what is directly threatening the species’ survival: predators.
At the same time that sage grouse populations have been on the decline, raven populations have increased exponentially in areas of sage grouse habitat. No amount of grass cover can sufficiently protect sage grouse nests amid such a proliferation of predators. It’s time for land and wildlife managers to wake up and address this problem rather than to look for scapegoats with which they can make sweeping management changes – with no benefit to sage grouse.
Stay tuned as this issue continues to evolve, which it surely will now that the BLM has initiated this process. As it does, it will be essential for ranchers who raise cattle in sage grouse habitat to be vigilant, to take an active role in the process and to comment actively at every opportunity. ICA will be doing so, and we will work to keep you informed.
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