Re: Aug. 7 news story.
The federal governmentap retraction of protection for sage grouse shows the utter disregard of nature and science.
For years public officials and agency administrators have sought a balance that would allow viable habitat for the grouse together with activities such as mining, oil and gas development, and grazing. Wyoming, a rural state with more public land than Colorado, issued an executive order in 2010 stating that “New development or land uses within Core Population Areas should be authorized or conducted only when it can be demonstrated that the activity will not cause declines in Greater Sage-Grouse populations.” This was the result of collaboration of industry and conservationists. Colorado has similar rules.
The move by the U.S. secretary of the interior to open more public land for development and institute instead a captive breeding program disregards the needs of this species and others in the same habitat, as well as the fact that public land belongs to all Americans, not just those that would exploit it.
.ҰԳ, Lakewood
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