Sage Grouse Vote

  More sage grouse battling and it’s impact on ag. I’m David Sparks, right back with the story. Craziest thing. There’s an editorial in the Statesman on-line and part of it says “The greater sage grouse has been called the spotted owl of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem.The point of that analogy, which I have been using since 1997, is that listing the grouse as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act could have a profound effect on the economies of the 11 Western states that are home to the bird. The listing of the northern spotted owl in 1990 all but shut down the old-growth timber industry in the Pacific Northwest -putting tens of thousand of people out of work.”

 Here’s the funny part. The author never identifies himself. Let me identify Wally Butler, Rangeland Specialist for the Idaho Farm Bureau: “The potential listing of sage grouse is not gonna’ be as devastating as spotted owl listing because that listing killed an entire industry instantly. This will be a slower evolution of reducing industries, namely grazing, mining, energy development and recreation.”

 With 11 states involved, the issue could go to Congress quickly and turn the tide.