Update on the Gunnison Sage Grouse Listing

Last Fall the US Fish and Wildlife Service decided to list the Gunnison sage grouse as threatened despite the more than $100 million invested into Gunnison sage grouse habitat and conservation in Colorado alone.Colorado Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Terry Fankhauser gives an update as to what has transpired since then.
Fankhauser: “So where it stands right now —is the state Colorado has filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Widlife over the listing. So have the Gunnison County Stockgrowers and then all of the counties in Colorado joined together that have Gunnison range and filed a notice to intent to sue as well. So that is the update. I I think where we stand is that this will all proceed to the court and every entity, plaintiff and defendant will get to make its case and we will see where it falls out.”
There is obvious frustration amongst those who have worked hard in habitat conservation for the Gunnison sage grouse as what does it mean moving forward for other species? Fankhauser adds many are asking.
Fankhauser: “What would compel us to believe that we should be making those investments in the Greater Grouse? And it is a great question — I can’t answer that — except to say we have to put our best process forward and do what we can to show performance in species conservation.”