FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLM Withdraws Gunnison Sage Grouse Habitat from Oil and Gas Leasing

Sage Grouse Will Benefit but Still Need Endangered Species Act Protection

The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it withdrew over 14,000 acres of Gunnison sage grouse habitat from its quarterly sale of oil and gas drilling leases. The withdrawal came after Center for Native Ecosystems and other groups filed a protest of the sale. Drilling activities would likely have had a severe effect on the native bird because the parcels included portions of the Cerro Summit/Cimarron/Sims Mesa and San Miguel Basin populations, two of only seven remaining Gunnison sage grouse populations.

The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it withdrew over 14,000 acres of Gunnison sage grouse habitat from its quarterly sale of oil and gas drilling leases. The withdrawal took place after Center for Native Ecosystems and Forest Guardians filed a formal protest of the lease sale. Drilling activities would likely have had a severe effect on the native bird because the parcels included portions of the Cerro Summit/Cimarron/Sims Mesa and San Miguel Basin populations, two of only seven remaining Gunnison sage grouse populations.

"Recovering the Gunnison sage grouse means protecting both occupied habitat and the additional habitat it needs to become healthy and thrive once again," explained Nicole Rosmarino of Forest Guardians. "Keeping drilling out of occupied Gunnison sage grouse habitat is a good first step."

Scientists have concluded that the Gunnison sage grouse, whose current range is centered in the Gunnison Basin in western Colorado, is in severe danger of extinction. The grouse's populations have continued to decline year after year, including a decline from about 3,500 birds in 1999 to only 2,600 birds in 2004.

While the BLM's withdrawals included all the parcels with confirmed occupied Gunnison sage grouse habitat, the agency continues to promote drilling in unoccupied but essential habitat. For instance, today's lease sale still included two parcels of habitat within the Cerro Summit/Cimarron/Sims Mesa population area that are identified as habitat for grouse in the Gunnison Sage Grouse Rangewide Conservation Plan written by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, BLM, and others last year.

"While we appreciate that the BLM removed key Gunnison sage grouse habitat from oil and gas leasing, their reluctance to protect recovery habitat illustrates the need for Endangered Species Act listing," explained Erin Robertson, Staff Biologist, Center for Native Ecosystems.

Because of its perilous status and continued declines, the Gunnison sage grouse was designated a "candidate" for Endangered Species Act protection in 2001. While nearly everyone, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, acknowledges that the Gunnison sage needs the protection of the Act to survive and recover, the agency continues to drag its heels. It recently announced plans to publish a proposed listing rule in Fall 2005, four years after it first admitted that the grouse should be protected. Scientists also roundly criticized the draft plan’s voluntary and inadequate conservation measures.

"Without the safety net of the Endangered Species Act, the BLM will continue to allow its habitat to be destroyed by oil and gas drilling," stated Dr. Nicole Rosmarino of Forest Guardians.

Congressman John Salazar also weighed in on the lease sale, chastising the Bureau of Land Management for selling drilling rights on private land without bothering to inform the landowners. San Miguel County asked BLM not to lease two parcels, based on Gunnison sage grouse concerns.

"We are pleased that Congressman Salazar voiced his concerns," explained Jacob Smith, Executive Director of Center for Native Ecosystems. "The BLM frequently runs roughshod over private property and endangered species alike, and it is time they slow down and do it right."

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