Despite ongoing conservation efforts, a Western bird continues to face sharp population declines at the hands of climate change-induced impacts to its habitat which include wildfires and drought conditions. 

A new plan from the Bureau of Land Management seeks to help protect the greater sage-grouse by tightening restrictions for oil and energy development on the bird’s habitat in 10 Western states, including Colorado.

The bird, the largest grouse in North America, is recognizable for its chunky, rotund body, small head, long tail and speckled pattern. In the last 59 years, its population has declined by around 80%, according to a report from the United States Geological Survey. 

The plan includes recommended updates to the Bureau’s Resource Management Plan for greater sage-grouse habitat. The proposed changes increase protections for the grouse while maintaining what it calls “an appropriate balance of public land uses” including development for energy. 

“For too long, a false choice has been presented for land management that aims to pit development against conservation,” stated Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a news release. “This Administration’s collaborative work has demonstrated that we can do both successfully.”  

Under the proposal, areas identified as “priority” habitats for the greater sage-grouse — which are areas key to the species’ success, used for things like breeding, winter habitat, migration or connectivity — would have strengthened restrictions for on-surface oil, wind and solar development. 

The plan notes that these added protections are “designed to provide the necessary protections for (greater sage-grouse) and its habitat in light of anticipated development threats and negative impacts from climate change such as drought.” 

As the finalized proposal comes in the waning days of President Joe Biden’s administration, the plan is likely to face challenges under President-elect Donald Trump. Trump sought to remove such restrictions in his first term and has made promises to increase the production of oil and gas on public lands in a second term.

While there are conservation groups that have expressed support for this final proposal, some have said it still allows unnecessary loopholes for development. Others, including clean energy groups, Republican electeds and other organizations, have expressed concerns that the restrictions go too far, according to reports from The Associated Press and The New York Times. 

The federal agency manages 121 million acres of public land across California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Of this, 65 million acres are identified as greater sage-grouse habitat management areas.

The proposal recognizes 34.5 million acres as priority habitat — over 2 million more acres than are currently managed under this definition — and 21.5 million as general habitat, or land with the potential to become seasonal or year-round habitat for the birds. This is around 5 million fewer acres than it currently manages as general habitat. 

In Colorado, the bureau is proposing to reclassify 49,500 acres of previously identified general habitat as priority acreage and add around 1,600 acres of previously unclassified land as general habitat. 

Five hundred of the acres that could be converted to priority habitat are in North Park where a “known mapped winter conservation area” exists. This acreage has “high conservation value,” according to the plan. 

In Colorado, the greater sage-grouse is listed as an endangered species. Parks and Wildlife has conservation management plans for Eagle and South Routt counties as well as in Middle Park and North Park. 

The plan represents a proactive approach to protect the species and avoid the need to list it under the Endangered Species Act. 

Efforts to conserve and protect the grouse’s sagebrush habitat also benefit over 350 other wildlife species including elk, mule deer, pronghorn and pygmy rabbit, according to the Bureau of Land Management. 

While this proposal concludes a two-year planning effort, this is the third such effort the bureau has engaged in since 2012. 

“Despite years of management attention from multiple state and federal agencies (greater sage-grouse) habitat continues to be impacted and lost,” reads the updated plan.

Protests to the plan up can be filed until Dec. 9. The Interior Department will release its final management plan following the resolution of any valid protests.