Feds plan big investment in sage grouse, with or without listing
The federal government plans to spend more than $200 million over the next three years on programs to protect greater sage grouse in Western states, regardless of whether the bird receives federal protections, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday. Vilsack told The Associated Press that he wants to almost double protected habitat for the elegant chicken-sized bird, to 8 million acres by 2018. He also promised more will be done to limit residential development in sage grouse habitat and to restore wetlands used by the birds. AP reporters Matthew Brown and Gosia Wozniacka in Portland have a full report here.
