Camille Ericksom Jan 5, 2020
Raucous debate over how the state should respond to the declining age grouse population numbers once again stirred political action in Wyoming last year.
For one, Gov. Mark Gordon signed an executive order to amend the rules governing development in a and around 15 million acres of sage grouse core habitat. The order upheld existing conservation strategies from a previous order but also added new data collection requirements and outlined guidelines for reclamation of disturbed habitat.
Wyoming's Sage-Grouse Implementation Team (a group of two dozen experts from some 20 different agencies) met several times to drum up extensive recommendations for the governor.
The Wyoming Legislature also had a hand in managing critical sage grouse habitat. Lawmakers advanced a bill to session in November that could anoint the state with the authority to uphold its compensatory mitigation program.
Read full article here: 2019 was a big year for sage grouse news....