Federal Judge Holds Firm Despite Activists Challenge
A federal judge with the sense and conviction to rule against environmental activists, even the revered Jon Marvel? I’m Susan Allen, stay tuned to Open Range. The environmental powerhouse groups Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians thought it would be the typical smooth sailing when they attempted to force the federal government to increase protection for the sage grouse last week , that is until they found out an Idaho judge would be on the bench. In finding that Fish and Wildlife Scientists did the necessary work to prove the sage grouse doesn’t need increased protection, the Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ensured new energy production and exploration would continue on public lands. Jon Marvel of the Western Watershed knows that once the sage grouse is listed endangered oil, gas and coal development would halt in many western states. The sage grouse is found in Wyoming, Montana , Idaho the Dakotas, Nevada ,Utah , Washington, Oregon, and parts of California and Colorado, why Marvel's so adamant to get the birds listed. According to Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, the new ruling allows states like his, to come up with their own conservation plans. No doubt the last century has been hard on the sage grouse, their numbers have declined 90 percent due to loosing 50% of their habitat but interestingly have remained stable over the last ten years. hard to rule them “endangered” after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, (emphasis on Czar) just gave Wyoming a “thumbs up” over their sage grouse conservation efforts.
