Big Game Forever Supporters,
Today, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that Greater Sage-grouse will not be added to the Endangered Species List as either an endangered or threatened species.We are grateful for your efforts to ensure this species and the 165,000,000 acres of its habitat across the West remains under state wildlife management authority. Unfortunately we are not out of the woods yet.
There are several problems with today's announcement:
•First, this decision only lasts for a period of 5 years.
•Second, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service are moving forward with new heavy-handed restrictions on millions of acres of public land across the West.
•Third, there is nothing to stop the floodgate of litigation by groups who are opposed to the use of public land by sportsmen, livestock, outdoor recreation and many other uses.
Don't be fooled by Washington; today's action is about regulation, not conservation.
Congress is currently working to protect our access to and use of these lands by a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This provision protects critical state management programs for Greater Sage-Grouse, stops the endless lawsuits and provides additional time to ensure any new BLM or Forest Service plans protect the needs of local communities who are investing the most in Sage-Grouse conservation.
In the coming weeks we will need your help. Watch for future action alerts and additional information from Big Game Forever. Your support of these common-sense solutions that protect the rights of sportsmen to hunt and fish on public lands in America makes all the difference.
Thank you for your support.
Ryan Benson
