FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Presidential Pardon Requested for Endangered Western Grouse Species

A coalition of nine conservation and animal protection organizations today asked President Bush to "pardon" endangered grouse in western North America by granting them protection under the Endangered Species Act. The request comes on the cusp of the traditional pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey by the President.

Center for Native Ecosystems joined Forest Guardians and either other conservation and animal protection groups today requested that President Bush "pardon" endangered grouse in western North America by granting them protection under the Endangered Species Act. The request comes on the cusp of the traditional pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey by the President. Grouse are related to turkeys, as they are both gallinaceous birds, heavy-bodied, largely ground-feeding species of the order Galliformes.

"The compassion which marks the Presidential Pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey should be extended to the beautiful and graceful wild grouse of western North America, several of which are suffering greatly under President Bush's uncompassionate assault against wildlife and public lands in the U.S.," stated Dr. Nicole Rosmarino, Conservation Director for Forest Guardians. "We believe there is a moral imperative to protect the diversity of life and to show gratitude for the wildlife and wildness that enriches our lives," added Rosmarino.

The request also comes on the heels of yesterday's decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny federal protection to the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. In addition, last week, Colorado's San Miguel County and a coalition of conservation groups sued the Service over its denial of protection to the Gunnison sage grouse after unearthing documents which revealed illegal political interference in the Service's decision.

The organizations urged Bush to marry the 59-year tradition of Presidential Pardons for Thanksgiving turkeys with the 33-year tradition, under the Endangered Species Act, of providing a vital safety net for wildlife on the brink of extinction. They warned that federal protection should be expedited for the lesser prairie chicken, Gunnison sage grouse, Columbian sharpt-tailed grouse, greater sage-grouse, and Mono Basin sage grouse in order to avoid the dismal fates of the heath hen, a grouse which went extinct in 1932 due to belated protection, and the Attwater's prairie chicken, which presently numbers less than 100 birds.

The Bush administration has a track record of forestalling listing of imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act. While President Clinton listed 65 species a year during his administration, and President George H.W. Bush listed 59 species per year, the George W. Bush administration has listed only 8-9 species per year, and all of these were compelled by the courts. For species on the brink of extinction, protection delays lead to species declines. According to a 2005 report from the Center for Biological Diversity (based on Service data), between 1974-2004, 42 species for which federal protection was long delayed went extinct.

The letter to Bush contended that just as the pardoned turkey will be allowed to live out its life, imperiled western grouse should be allowed to live out their lives, free from threats such as habitat destruction on public lands from livestock grazing and escalating oil and gas development.

The groups noted many reasons to protect imperiled grouse species, including:

•    The spirit of compassion, which marks the Presidential Pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey.
•    The support of the vast majority of Americans – 86 percent – for a strong Endangered Species Act and their recognition that it provides a vital safety net for the nation’s wildlife and plants.
•    Smart resource planning goes hand in hand with endangered species protection. Intact lands for imperiled grouse will preserve natural ecosystem services, which benefit human communities, such as clean water and air.
•    The moral responsibility to safeguard grouse out of reverence for creation. A plurality of faiths and spiritual foundations underscore the need to preserve life on earth. The moral underpinnings for this course range from the inherent value of grouse as beings whose must not be allowed to go extinct to our obligation to future generations of humans to leave a rich natural legacy, rather than squander it for the short-term profit of a few.

The organizations requesting a Presidential Pardon for imperiled grouse species include Animal Protection of New Mexico, Animal Protection Institute, Center for Native Ecosystems, Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance, Oregon Natural Desert Association, Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, Sagebrush Sea Campaign, Southern Plains Land Trust, and Western Watersheds Project.

Read the letter to President Bush requesting a Presidential Pardon.

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