The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is taking action to reduce fatal collisions with thousands of miles of public land structures by Western birds that the Obama administration is considering for listing under the Endangered Species Act. These Western birds are the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, greater sage-grouse, and lesser prairie-chicken.
"Listing these birds under the Endangered Species Act is likely to have long-term negative impacts on livestock grazing and energy development in the West because restrictions on land use may be required to save these species," said Ted Toombs, Rocky Mountain Regional Director of Environmental Defense Fund's Center for Conservation Incentives. "By taking action now to reduce the death threat of fencing to these birds, the Bureau of Land Management is making a smart, inexpensive taxpayer investment that can produce immediate benefits."
Columbian sharp-tailed grouse live in northwestern Colorado, southeastern Idaho, Wallowa County, Oregon and south-central Wyoming (see photo of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Columbian_Sharp-tailed_Grouse_(male).png ).
Greater sage-grouse live in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming (see photo of a greater sage-grouse at: http://www.edf.org/content_images/GreaterSageGrouse.jpg ).
Lesser prairie chickens live in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas (see photo of a lesser prairie chicken at: http://www.edf.org/content_images/LesserPrairieChicken.jpg ).
Several studies have shown wire fencing to be a main cause of mortality for sage-grouse and lesser prairie chickens because they can't see the thin wires and fly into them. In the results of an ongoing study released late in October 2009, during a 31-month period, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department documented 146 instances of finding sage-grouse feathers or carcasses on or near a 4.7-mile section of barbed-wire fence near Farson in western Wyoming. Subsequent research concluded that colored tags helped sage-grouse avoid flying into the fence. Fence collisions were attributed to more than 33 percent of lesser prairie-chicken mortalities in a 2004 Oklahoma/New Mexico study.
The BLM's directive to its western field offices are similar to recommendations Environmental Defense Fund made in a January report. Recommendations in the BLM directive include:
Fences
If bird mortality due to collision with fences is documented, or if collisions are likely to occur due to new fence placement, implement appropriate actions to mitigate impact. Such actions might include marking key sections of the fence with permanent marking or other suitable means.
All Field Offices shall consider marking new fences in sage-grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, or prairie-chicken habitat and should identify marking fences as part of the cost of new fencing projects (see for example, State of Montana guidelines at http://fwp.mt.gov/content/getItem.aspx?id=34461 ).
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