ROSWELL, N.M.—The Bureau of Land Management said Friday an amended management plan for the lesser prairie chicken will allow oil and gas development, grazing and off-road vehicles on federal land used by the birds but still will protect its population.
The release of the proposed special status species management plan and final environmental impact statement starts a 30-day period for protests to the plan. The document also was sent to Gov. Bill Richardson for a 60-day review.
Prairie chicken habitat covers parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Landowners and conservationists in New Mexico have been working to keep the bird from being listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. They won a major battle last year when the state Game Commission recommended not adding the bird to the state endangered species list.
This spring, The Nature Conservancy said the population of the lesser prairie chicken, whose numbers fell as it lost habitat, was holding steady and even increasing a bit. The conservancy bought a ranch in Roosevelt County and leases it for ranching under strict management practices to help the bird.
Tish McDaniel, coordinator for The Nature Conservancy’s shortgrass prairie project, said she had not seen the plan and could not comment.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from Grant Beauprez, prairie chicken biologist for the state Game and Fish Department in Clovis.
The BLM, which noted federal regulations require its land to be available for multiple uses, said the management plan represents more than three years of collaboration with a variety of partners.
“Doing this will give us the flexibility to allow current uses and activities on public lands to continue in the area,” said Doug Burger, manager of the BLM’s Pecos District, who said the agency has worked with the landowners and conservationist groups to keep the bird off the federal endangered species list.
The BLM’s planning area covers 1.8 million acres in Roosevelt, Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties in eastern New Mexico. The latest management plan also affects habitat for the sand dune lizard, which is found only in New Mexico and a small portion of West Texas.
Last month, the state Land Office announced that land in five eastern New Mexico counties will be kept out of energy production for two more years as habitat for the prairie chicken. The 109,222 acres of state trust land in parts of Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, DeBaca and Chaves counties originally was withdrawn in 2004.
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