BLM marking fences to save sage grouse

SALT LAKE CITY — At the behest of a national environmental organization, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is moving to outfit hundreds of miles of Utah fencing with flags.

An untimely collision with an unmarked fence is the cause for roughly 18 percent of greater sage grouse deaths, according to a 2002 report by Deseret Land and Livestock Wildlife Research.

Michael Bean, director of the Environmental Defense Fund, which lobbied for the BLM's support in the project, calls the gray, chicken-like bird an "iconic" animal of the West. Early pioneers reported the grouse, which is now "teetering" on the brink of joining the U.S. endangered species list, could practically be found strutting wherever there was sagebrush.

While flagging fences won't eliminate collisions, Bean called it a step in the right direction.

"By taking action now to reduce the death threat of fencing to these birds, the Bureau of Land Management is making a smart, inexpensive taxpayer investment that can produce immediate benefits," said Ted Toombs, Rocky Mountain regional director of the fund's Center for Conservation Incentives, in a prepared statement.

In a memorandum earlier this month, the BLM instructed field offices to ensure new fence proposals are "carefully evaluated for sage grouse collision risk" and are adequately marked to mitigate impact.

Field offices should monitor existing fencing and document bird deaths. Trouble areas should be flagged.

Installing reflectors or flags will cost about $200 per mile.

Environmentalists hope the BLM's action will keep the greater sage grouse off of the U.S. endangered species list.

"Listing these birds under the Endangered Species Act is likely to have long-term negative impacts on livestock grazing and energy development in the West, because restrictions on land use may be required to save these species," Toombs said.

e-mail: estuart@desnews.com