Grouse listing may again be delayed

State officials request 6-month extension

The listing of the Gunnison sage grouse under the federal Endangered Species Act may once again be postponed, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A listing decision is due to be made by May 12; however, last week several Colorado state officials, including the governor and several congressmen, requested a six-month extension to the ruling. If granted, this would be the third such extension.

“This is actually good news for us,” said Gunnison County Commissioner Paula Swenson. “There have been indications that if a ruling were to be made next week it may not go in our favor. This could give us a chance to provide further evidence and documentation of the work that has been done on the ground in the county and to show what is being done to bring other areas along.”
In a letter to the USFWS, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and U.S. Representative Scott Tipton, said, “We feel that additional time is needed to consider recent and ongoing local habitat conservation efforts.” They added that issuing a decision by May 12 would likely trigger protracted litigation.
Governor Hickenlooper went one step further, telling the USFWS that based on new evidence it may “conclude that the Gunnison sage grouse is not presently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and regional stakeholders have consistently stated their opposition to a federal listing of the Gunnison sage grouse, instead favoring a continuation of conservation efforts that have been ongoing for several decades.
A court order on the extension request is pending, and a decision is expected by May 9.