Congress Should Allow Historic Collaboration on Sage-Grouse Management to Continue

By Justin Stakes

TRCP senior scientist will testify that in-progress conservation plans driven by the listing deadline are synergistic and the process should continue without a major shift in power

Washington, DC -(Ammoland.com)- House lawmakers from the Committee on Natural Resources will meet tomorrow to discuss the states’ management role in sage-grouse conservation efforts.

In this oversight hearing, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s Senior Scientist Ed Arnett will testify that sportsmen support the ongoing collaboration between federal, state, and local players on conservation plans for sagebrush habitat on federal public lands, rather than a prolonged delay of the listing decision or a major shift in power to the states.

“There can be no doubt that the best way to maintain state oversight of sage-grouse and hundreds of sagebrush-dependent species is to keep this bird off of the endangered species list,” says Arnett, whose complete written testimony is available here. “The Endangered Species Act is a tool of last resort, and for sportsmen, it certainly isn’t the preferred vehicle for conservation. But it seems that the specter of an ESA listing has been necessary to drive the historic level …read more

Source:: AmmoLand