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BLM National Draft Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy
Questions & Answers (8/21/03)

What are the goals of the national BLM Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy?

The goals of this strategy are:

• To reverse the decline of sage-grouse populations and ensure healthy populations in the future.
  
  
• To preclude the need for Endangered Species Act listings for sage-grouse, and thus protect the many other values, interests and uses of the public lands that are recognized in our multiple use mission.
  
  
• To achieve these goals through measures that are developed in consultation, cooperation and communication with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, state wildlife agencies and other partners.

Who is responsible for managing sage-grouse populations?

The management of sage-grouse is a shared responsibility. The states, acting through their respective wildlife management agencies, are responsible for managing all resident wildlife, including sage-grouse. Federal land management agencies, such as the BLM and U.S. Forest Service, are responsible for managing habitat on lands under their respective jurisdiction. Similarly, other land owners or administrators who manage the lands they own or control may have specific responsibilities related to wildlife and wildlife habitat. Sage-grouse will benefit from and take advantage of suitable habitat, regardless of ownership or management responsibility. That is why it is important that all stakeholders be engaged in the conservation strategy.

If States manage wildlife, why is the BLM involved in sage-grouse conservation planning?

• The BLM manages more than half of all remaining sagebrush habitat in the United States, more than 50 million acres.
  
  
• Under the law, the BLM manages the public lands for multiple use and permits a variety of activities that occur on that land that can positively or adversely affect the quality of habitat.
  
  
• The BLM is a strong partner in state and local sage-grouse conservation planning efforts and can support those efforts by addressing conservation needs on a broader multi-state, regional and national basis, and by providing consistent BLM policy across all the lands it manages.

How does the BLM’s Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy relate to sage-grouse conservation plans being done by State wildlife agencies?

The BLM Strategy will parallel and complement State wildlife agency sage-grouse conservation planning efforts. The BLM state-level strategies will address only BLM-managed public land, activities and related programs.

Neither the BLM national strategy nor the forthcoming state-level BLM strategies pre-empts State wildlife management authority, but rather these strategies provide guidance specifically for BLM personnel to consistently address sage-grouse issues.

To reduce the likelihood of listing on a range-wide basis, state wildlife agency-led conservation plans will have to meet the criteria of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts when Making Listing Decisions (PECE). Should state wildlife agency-led conservation not be completed or if they do not meet PECE criteria when the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is ready to make a listing decision, the completed BLM national and state-level sage-grouse habitat strategies will address range-wide concerns and describe the actions that BLM is taking to ensure that specific, effective conservation efforts are made on BLM-managed public land.

What triggered the possibility of a listing under the Endangered Species Act?

Population declines of sage-grouse across their range have been significant in recent decades. Seven petitions have been filed since 1999 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. Some of these petitions are for range-wide protection for sage-grouse across an 11-state area. As yet there is no habitat conservation strategy that spans their entire range.

What are the factors that determine whether a species will be listed under the Endangered Species Act?

There are five factors that the Fish and Wildlife Services considers in determining if it is necessary to list a species as Endangered or Threatened. They are:

1. The present or threatened destruction, modification or curtailment of the species’ habitat or range;
   
   
2. The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms (such as, having insufficient conservation measures specified in land management plans);
   
   
3. Other natural or manmade factors affecting the species survival (such as, the role of invasive plants and/or wildfires in modifying habitat suitability).
   
   
4. Over utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
   
   
5. Disease and predation.

What is the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts when Making Listing Decisions (PECE)?

The final Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions became effective April 28, 2003. It identifies criteria to be used by the FWS in determining whether proposed conservation efforts are likely to contribute to improving the habitat and species survival, thereby making a Threatened and Endangered federal listing unnecessary. The policy will be used by the FWS to evaluate conservation efforts identified in conservation agreements, conservation plans, management plans, or similar documents developed by federal agencies, state and local governments, Tribal governments, businesses, organizations and individuals.

The PECE establishes two basic criteria to be used by the FWS in evaluating conservation plans or strategies such as the BLM sage-grouse strategies. The policy provides specific factors under these two basic criteria that will be used to analyze conservation efforts. These are:

1. The certainty that the conservation efforts will be implemented, and
   
   
2. The certainty that the efforts will be effective.

What is the status of sage-grouse on BLM-managed public land?

Sage-grouse are clearly a species of concern. The Gunnison sage-grouse is a candidate species for listing and therefore a BLM special status species in Colorado and Utah, and the greater sage-grouse is a Bureau sensitive species in Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming. Regarding candidate species, the BLM Special Status Species Management Manual specifies “… the BLM shall implement management plans that conserve candidate species and their habitats and shall ensure that actions authorized, funded, or carried out by the BLM do not contribute to the need for the species to become listed” (section 6840.06C).

Although the greater sage-grouse is not listed as threatened or endangered or as a candidate for listing under the ESA, the BLM treats Bureau sensitive species as if they are Candidate Species. The BLM Special Status Species Management manual specifies, “the protection provided by the policy for candidate species shall be used as the minimum level of protection for BLM sensitive species” (section 6840.06E).

Why is the BLM trying to prevent an Endangered Species Act listing?

Although many BLM programs and activities may be affected to various degrees by actions necessary to conserve sage-grouse habitat, the impact to these programs will be far greater if the sage-grouse is listed.

Public land users will face increased regulations and restrictions. Many kinds of activities would be affected by a listing, including:

• Livestock grazing
  
  
• Oil and gas exploration and development
  
  
• Wildfire management
  
  
• Recreation use

In addition, listing of sage-grouse would require 68 BLM field offices to reviser or amend 98 land use plans that presently cover about 50 million acres. This process would be expensive and time consuming, and could require restrictions on public activities during the development of new plans or amendments to existing plans.

What will the national BLM Strategy do?

• Reduce likelihood of ESA listing,
  
  
• Strengthen state wildlife agency and local planning efforts by:
  
  
  • addressing sage-grouse habitat conservation needs range-wide, which cannot be achieved in individual State and local plans, and
    
    
  • ensuring a consistent range-wide framework to address sage-grouse habitat conservation on BLM-administered lands.
    
    
• Result in best-management practices for authorized uses and management activities on BLM-administered land to ensure sage-grouse conservation is addressed in all levels of land use planning and use authorizations.
  
  
• Benefit other species-at-risk within sage-grouse range, such as pygmy rabbit, white-tailed prairie dog, and Brewer’s sparrow.
  
  
• Benefit more than 350 other special status plant and animal species dependent on sagebrush habitat.

How does the Strategy work?

For the BLM to successfully conserve sage-grouse habitat, it must first consider conservation needs and management impacts on a broader landscape scale, then step that information down to local management levels in cooperation with all agencies, interests and land ownerships.

The process starts with an overall review of the existing situation by looking at administrative mechanisms and program policies and directions to determine how they affect sage-grouse habitat conservation, and then recommending appropriate changes.

Plans developed at the State and local level can then address specific needs, actions and listing factors in the context of range-wide situations.

What are some possible actions the BLM will take regarding conservation of sage-grouse habitat?

In coordination with states, the BLM will develop best-management practices for authorized uses and management activities on BLM-administered land and ensure that sage-grouse conservation is addressed in all levels of state-level land use planning. Programs and activities that may be affected include:

• land-use planning, all levels
  
  
• livestock grazing
  
  
• wildfire management
  
  
• recreation use
  
  
• oil and gas exploration and development
  
  
• regional assessments and monitoring
  
  
• development of partnership opportunities
  
  
• regional implementation partnerships.

Will the Strategy still be useful if sage-grouse are listed under the ESA?

Yes. By following the Strategy, up-to-date information would be available on the condition of populations, habitat condition, threats to habitat and management needs. When species are listed, recovery plans are prepared to improve habitat conditions and increase populations. If sage-grouse were to be listed, the Strategy would serve as a valuable tool in recovery planning because it is being developed with consideration of both the Endangered Species Act listing factors and the standards of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions (PECE).

How will the BLM’s management of sage-grouse habitat relate to management, conservation and restoration efforts currently being conducted by other agencies?

The BLM is working closely with all agencies conducting programs to evaluate, conserve, enhance and improve sage-grouse habitat. Some of these efforts are:

• Development of state and local sage-grouse conservation plans being led by state wildlife agencies,
  
  
• Preparation of a range-wide sage-grouse conservation assessment, a project being led by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and the Conservation Planning Framework Team,
  
  
• Participation in federal interagency multi-species conservation planning activities,
  
  
• Participation in the Great Basin Restoration Initiative, and
  
  
• Development of broad-scale sagebrush habitat assessment procedures by the BLM, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

What laws, policies and plans will the BLM consider during the development of the Strategy?

The BLM will consider:

• Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing factors
  
  
• US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts when Making Listing Decisions (PECE)
  
  
• Guidelines to Manage Sage-grouse Populations and Their Habitats (Connelly et al. 2000)
  
  
• BLM’s Strategic Plan
  
  
• Rangeland Health Standards
  
  
• DOI Strategic Plan

What principles will be used to guide development of the Strategy?

• Involved and effective BLM leadership at all levels
  
  
• Use of interdisciplinary teams
  
  
• Application of the best science available
  
  
• Clearly defined, measurable and outcome-based strategies
  
  
• Information sharing among all concerned with the Strategy and its implementation

How will the BLM involve stakeholders and the general public during the development of the Strategy?

The BLM will employ Secretary of the Interior Norton’s “Four Cs” philosophy. BLM staff will:

• Consult with local communities and special interest groups on the best way to achieve goals and objectives for the habitat management program and collaborate with those most affected by program decisions;
  
  
• Cooperate by forming partnerships with other agencies, tribes and community groups to develop innovative management tools and programs; and
  
  
• Communicate planning and implementation intentions and actions to the public while listening to the public’s concerns and ideas regarding the Strategy; and thus
  
  
• Conserve the sage-grouse habitat and ensure the growth of sage-grouse populations.

How can I participate in developing the Strategy?

You can review the draft Strategy on the BLM Web site at http://www.blm.gov/ and submit your comments during the public comment period that has been extended to November 1, 2003. You can attend any listening meetings or briefings that are scheduled in your area.

What are the planned completion and publication dates for the Strategy?

The draft national-level Strategy was released to the public July 21, 2003, with a public comment period ending August 20. BLM Director Kathleen Clarke extended the public comment period to November 1 after requests from national wildlife groups who believed that more time spent on the draft would result in a better final document that would bring greater benefit to the sagebrush biome. The new deadline for the final national-level Strategy is January 15, 2004, and BLM state-level strategies will be completed by January 15, 2005.

Who is leading this effort and who can I contact with questions?

The BLM Washington Office, BLM Fish, Wildlife and Botany Group, is coordinating the national Strategy. If you have questions, write to BLM Sage-Grouse Team, P.O Box 66625, Washington, D.C. 20035-6625.

Where should I send my comments?

Comments may be submitted from the Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy page of the BLM’s Internet site at http://www.blm.gov/, or mailed to: BLM Sage-Grouse Team, P.O. Box 66625, Washington, D.C. 20035-6625. If you are unable to obtain a copy of the draft Strategy from the website, please request a copy from the above address.

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