Sage Grouse Coalition To Activists:

‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’

Following the federal government’s final decision not to list the Greater Sage-grouse as an endangered species, the Partnership for the West grassroots alliance issued a challenge to the activist groups seeking the listing. “We challenge those activist groups that pushed this petition to put their money where their mouth is and start funding actual conservation efforts instead of funding lawyers and lawsuits,” said Diane Hoppe, Chair of the Partnership and a Colorado State Representative. “Federal agencies, State agencies, counties, municipalities, conservation groups and many private sector stakeholders are together spending tens of millions of dollars to help conserve sage-grouse and its habitat. What are some of these so-called environmental groups bringing to the conservation table? Little beyond a never-ending stream of destructive and costly lawsuits.

“These lawsuits end up hurting wildlife because they drown wildlife biologists and conservation officials in paperwork, drain dollars away from actual conservation efforts, and scare folks away from the conservation table,” Hoppe added. “It’s time these activists chose conservation rather than conflict.”

Hoppe praised the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Interior Department for its decision not the list the grouse. “This decision is a victory of science over politics,” she said. “The field biologists did their work and came to a science-based conclusion that the bird was not on the verge of extinction. Now it’s up to all of us to work together in the West to ensure that this bird does not get into serious trouble in the future.” 

“...those who pushed this listing petition forced the wasteful spending

of millions of taxpayers’ dollars... that could otherwise have been spent

helping sage-grouse and preserving their habitat.”

Jim Sims 

Hoppe also praised several Members of Congress, especially U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-CA) and Representatives Jim Gibbons (R-NV) and Jim Matheson (D-UT), for helping to lead the effort to convince the federal government that state and local stakeholders were in the best position to lead sage-grouse conservation efforts.

Hoppe added: “This is an especially big win for Western landowners and farmers and ranchers. The overwhelming majority of landowners are more than willing to pitch in and help conserve this species on their land, but they rightfully fear standing in front of the loaded and cocked double-barreled shotgun that is the flawed Endangered Species Act. It’s time to update and modernize this law so that local folks who live on the land are given incentives to protect species, rather than encouraged to ‘shoot, shovel and shut up’ when a species wanders across their land,” Hoppe said.

Jim Sims, Executive Vice President of the Partnership, said: “It is my hope that those who are truly interested in seeing this species survive and flourish will come to the table and help hammer out common sense conservation efforts. The sad news is that those who pushed this listing petition forced the wasteful spending of millions of taxpayers’ dollars at the federal and state levels that could otherwise have been spent helping sage-grouse and preserving their habitat.

“The good news is that there are many public interest groups who truly care about the future of this species and who are already engaged in constructive efforts to enhance conservation efforts at the local level. We applaud their efforts and we look forward to working with them.”

(We have long noted that environists do very little on the ground to actually make improvements. They complain and they file voluminous appeals and they sue, but they don’t usually pick up trash, or rehab trails, or plant aspen for habitat. Thanks to the Partnership for making a public challenge to them. -Ed.)