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Obama Administration Determined Three More Grouse Warranted Listing in 2010
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221

SANTA FE, N.M. – WildEarth Guardians today requested thatPresident Obama “pardon” endangered grouse in the American West bygranting them protection under the Endangered Species Act. The request comes onthe cusp of the President’s traditional pardon of two Thanksgiving turkeys.

“The compassion that marks the Presidential Pardon ofthe Thanksgiving turkeys should be extended to the imperiled wild grouse of theWest, many of which are suffering greatly from mismanagement of their habitaton public lands,” said Mark Salvo, Coordinator for the Western GrouseProject for WildEarth Guardians.

The organization urged President Obama to marry the 46-yeartradition of the Presidential Pardon for Thanksgiving turkeys with the 36-yeartradition of the Endangered Species Act providing a vital safety net for fish,wildlife and plants threatened with extinction. This year the ObamaAdministration determined that three more grouse—the greater sage-grouse,Mono Basin sage-grouse, and Gunnison sage-grouse—need protection under the ESA,and would be listed if not for other priorities. These grouse join a fourth grouse,the lesser prairie-chicken, as candidates for listing under the ESA. WildEarthGuardians also advocates listing Columbian sharp-tailed grouse under the act.

“The best available science, as interpreted by this administration,supports protecting endangered grouse,” said Salvo. “Their recovery will dependon listing, as well as new policies to protect and restore their habitat.”

The letter notes that 86 percent of Americans support protectingspecies under the Endangered Species Act and that protecting western grousewill help conserve natural landscapes that benefit both grouse and humancommunities.

Five western grouse are imperiled. Four are candidates forlisting under the Endangered Species Act.

• Greater sage-grouse (candidate species) are the iconic ambassador of the Sagebrush Sea. Although the species still occurs in eleven western states, their distribution has decreased by almost half, while rangewide abundance has been reduced by as much as 97 percent from historic levels.

• Gunnison sage-grouse (candidate species), a distinct species from greater sage-grouse, occur in eight small populations in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. The species has experienced significant declines from historic numbers and only about 4,000 breeding individuals remain. The National Audubon Society identified the Gunnison sage-grouse as one of the ten most endangered birds in the United States in 2006.

• Mono Basin sage-grouse (candidate species) are a genetically distinct population of greater sage-grouse that occur in small populations north, west, and south of Mono Lake in eastern California and southwestern Nevada. The total population of Mono Basin sage-grouse is estimated between 2,712-3,048 in 2010.

• The lesser prairie-chicken (candidate species) occurs in shinnery oak and sand sagebrush grasslands in parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The species’ current distribution has been reduced to approximately 8 percent of historic range. Total population is variously estimated between 10,000-50,000 individuals, although some experts have warned that fewer than 10,000 birds may remain.

• Once considered the most abundant grouse in the Intermountain West, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse distribution has been dramatically reduced since 1900. The subspecies now occurs on less than ten percent of its historic range. Although millions of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse occurred in the West historically, only 18,000-25,000 breeding individuals remain in the United States.

WildEarth Guardians’ letter to President Obama is available here(PDF).