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DENVER, CO – A coalition including leading sage grouse expert Dr. Clait Braun and several western conservation organizations announced today a challenge to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to adequately protect the imperiled Gunnison sage grouse. Fewer than 5,000 Gunnison sage grouse remain, yet the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refused to protect the imperiled bird as an “endangered” species, choosing instead a less protective status as “threatened.”

“I have been researching and monitoring Gunnison sage grouse populations and habitat for almost 40 years,” said Dr. Clait Braun, a retired sage grouse expert with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “Today, Gunnison sage grouse stand at the precipice of extinction due to the impacts of grazing, oil and gas development, residential subdivisions, and other factors; and existing conservation plans and strategies are inadequate to stop this decline. Only science-based approaches to conservation will save Gunnison sage grouse, and it past time to let science dictate appropriate conservation measures.”

“The Endangered Species Act provides the safety net for saving our most endangered wildlife from extinction when other efforts are failing,” added Todd Tucci of Advocates for the West. “But it only works if the most imperiled species, like the Gunnison sage grouse, get real protections on the ground, including adequate critical habitat.”

In January 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the bird as ‘endangered’ citing ongoing threats and the inadequacy of regulatory mechanisms to prevent the disappearance of the birds in each of the seven remaining populations. Gunnison sage grouse are absent from 90 percent of their historic range. As of January 2013, fewer than 5,000 Gunnison sage grouse remain in just seven isolated populations, six of which are below minimum viable population numbers, meaning those populations are facing serious, short term risk of extinction.

“Imperiled by irresponsible grazing, oil and gas drilling, residential development, roads, powerlines and the cumulative impacts of these threats, the fewer than 5,000 remaining Gunnison sage grouse need the strongest possible protections to ensure they survive and recover,” said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist with WildEarth Guardians. “The science is clear, this spectacular dancing bird is endangered and should be afforded the highest level of protection.”

A recent analysis by WildEarth Guardians and Rocky Mountain Wild found that state, federal, and local protections currently in place cannot successfully address the multiple threats to the Gunnison sage grouse and its habitat. Livestock grazing, rural subdivision development, habitat fragmentation by infrastructure such as roads and powerlines, and oil and gas development continue to threaten the survival of the bird. Voluntary conservation efforts are not enforceable and have not led to recovery for the Gunnison sage grouse.

“We can’t gamble on the survival of this bird with the voluntary or scientifically inadequate protections that could be allowed under a ‘threatened species’ designation,” said Molvar. “This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon. Our generation cannot make the same mistakes of doing too little, too late to prevent the extinction of this iconic bird.”

“As a society, we love wide open landscapes, water, and wildlife. The decline of the Gunnison sage grouse is a symptom of our failure as a society to maintain the health of the Four Corners region,” said Shelley Silbert, Executive Director of Great Old Broads for Wilderness. “By protecting the sage grouse, we can restore the sagebrush ecosystem, benefitting many other species of wildlife and respecting the importance the connection to the land holds for our families and communities.”

Advocates for the West will represent Dr. Braun, WildEarth Guardians, Wild Utah Project, and Great Old Broads for Wilderness in the expected legal action.