'Proactive steps' will help farmers help bird's habitat

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

The sage grouse isn't listed as an endangered species, but federal officials hope to help ranchers protect the bird's habitat and avoid that fate.

"We have a window of time that we can take steps proactively to help the bird's habitat," USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White told the Capital Press.

"It would be a dream come true if we could do such a great job that this bird would never be listed," White said.

On March 12, White announced a $16 million initiative to help ranchers in 11 states protect sage grouse habitat.

Using $12.5 million in its Environmental Quality Incentives Program and $3.5 million in its Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, NRCS will provide financial assistance to producers who reduce threats to the birds, including controlling invasive species, and improving habitat.

The first deadline to apply for the programs is April 23. The conservation service will rank the highest-priority applications in each state, with the intent of signing contracts by Aug. 1.

States like Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming and Utah have identified core areas with high concentrations of sage grouse, where applications will take priority. States like Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California will develop their own priorities working with partners, White said.

The percentage of land a farmer is willing to enter into the program is another consideration.

"A guy who wants to put his 100 percent in is going to rank higher than a guy who wants to put 10 percent in," he said.

White said a variety of actions can help the sage grouse. Those can include an escape ramp in a watering tank to prevent birds from becoming trapped and drowning or adding vinyl clips to barbed wire fences to cut down on grouse mortality due to fence strikes, he said.

White believes the true value for ranchers will be proscribed grazing, with the programs helping to offset the costs of resting a pasture for a year.

Invasive species like cheatgrass or encroaching conifer or juniper trees, which provide roosting places for predatory eagles or hawks, are not good for sage grouse and detrimental for ranches as well, White said.

The conservation service is working with top U.S. Department and Fish and Wildlife officials in hopes of obtaining an agreement to provide certainty for ranchers that they would not face further requirements down the road if the grouse is eventually listed, White said.