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Conservationists Challenge Grazing in Bodie Hills to Protect Mono Basin Sage-Grouse
Conservationists Challenge Grazing in Bodie Hills to Protect Mono Basin Sage-Grouse
Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians are suing the the Bureau of Land Management
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221
Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardiansare suing the the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in federal court over twodecisions the BLM’s Bishop Field Office made to reauthorize cattle grazing onfour public land allotments in the Bodie Hills just north of Mono Lake despitetheir impacts to imperiled Bi-State sage-grouse.
“The BLM’s insistence on continued grazing threatensthe survival of this magnificent bird,” said Michael Connor, CaliforniaDirector for Western Watersheds Project. “The Bi-State sage-grouse populationis declining, yet we have to seek a court order to get the BLM to take thestrong measures that are needed to conserve the species.”
Bi-State sage-grouse are a distinct population ofgreater sage-grouse found in the vicinity of Mono Lake on the border ofCalifornia and Nevada. The total population of Mono Basin sage-grouse isestimated at fewer than 5,000 birds and is declining. In March 2010, the ObamaAdministration determined that this ground nesting sage-grouse warrantsprotection under the Endangered Species Act.
“There is a high risk of the grouse disappearing frommost of its current range in the bi-state area,” said Mark Salvo, Director ofthe Sagebrush Sea Campaign for WildEarth Guardians. “BLM managers must takemeaningful action to avoid driving these sage-grouse toward extinction.”
The conservation organizations have challenged BLM’sdecision to authorize grazing by as many as 3,057 cattle on four allotments:Bodie Mountain, Mono Sand Flat, Aurora Canyon, and Potato Peak, totalling morethan 133,000 acres of public land. Continued livestock grazing on these BLMpublic lands threatens the Bi-State sage-grouse by degrading habitat,disturbing nesting sage-grouse, and by promoting the spread of West Nile Viruscarrying mosquitoes. The sage-grouse is highly susceptible to West Nile Virusand several Mono Basin birds have died from West Nile Virus over the last fewyears. Domestic livestock alter sagebrush habitat and compete for nativegrasses and forbs that provide essential nutrients the grouse need to thriveand reproduce. Livestock trample sagebrush, compact the soil, and destroy thesurface soil crusts that serve to retain moisture, prevent the invasion ofnonnative weeds, and limit wildfire.
History
Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardiansand other organizations petitioned to list the Mono Basin sage-grouse as“threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act in 2005. The Fishand Wildlife Service initially issued a negative finding on the petition inDecember 2006, which conservation organizations challenged in federal court forfailure to apply the proper standard of review to the petition. The Serviceannounced a new, positive finding on the listing petition in April 2008 and initiateda full status review to determine whether the subpopulation should be listedunder the Endangered Species Act. The agency finally announced in March 2010that the Bi-State sage-grouse are warranted for protection, but listing ispresently precluded by other, higher priorities.
The range of Mono Basin sage-grouse is about 7,000square miles, an area about one and half times the size of Los Angeles County.They occur in small localized populations within this range, many of which arein danger of extirpation. Research from 2008 found that nest initiation andchick survival were reduced among sage-grouse studied in Mono County,California.