Sage-grouse Working Group Seeks Comment on Conservation Plan

No other bird better symbolizes Idaho's high desert country than the greater sage-grouse. Sage-grouse were once abundant in sagebrush habitats of the western United States and Canada, but they have been on the decline in recent years largely due to changes and impacts to habitat. The East Idaho Uplands Sage-grouse Local Working Group, which began in February 2007, has developed a draft conservation plan that provides information, guidance and conservation tools for protecting and enhancing sage-grouse populations and their habitats in the uplands of eastern Idaho. This plan, which is available for public review and comment, was prepared through collaboration by members from diverse perspectives, including representatives of relevant government agencies (including Idaho Fish and Game), tribes, non-government organizations, hunters, conservation groups, landowners, livestock operators and interested individuals in a manner that supports sage-grouse and a healthy diversity and abundance of wildlife species and human uses. Anyone who would like to review this plan, may find a copy on Fish and Game's Web site at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/grouse/conserve_plan/eastIdUpland…. It is currently included as Appendix J of Fish and Game's statewide conservation plan for sage grouse. To receive a hard copy in the mail or to have a copy e-mailed to you, please contact working group facilitator, Wendy Green-Lowe, at 208-523-6668. Instructions for submitting public comments by mail, phone, or fax are found can be found on the front page of the working group's conservation plan or by contacting Wendy Green-Lowe directly. Public comments are due by November 8. The East Idaho Uplands Sage-grouse Local Working Group Sage-grouse Conservation Plan has been in development since the inception of the working group in 2007 and has been reviewed by local, state and federal agencies. Once public comments have been considered and this plan has been finalized, it will be included as an appendix in the statewide sage grouse conservation plan developed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. This plan will be a "working document" and the local group may make changes in the future as local and regional conditions change and new information, technology and techniques become available. All meetings of the local working group are open to public. If you are interested in attending the next meeting or becoming a member, please contact Wendy Green-Lowe at 208- 523-6668, the Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 208-232-4703, or the Fish and Game office in Idaho Falls at 525-7290.