Special Summit on Sage Grouse to convene
by Governor Freudenthal's office
May 30, 2007
Signaling the severity of pressures on sage grouse habitat across Wyoming, Governor Dave Freudenthal today announced that he will convene a Sage Grouse Summit on June 27 and 28 at Casper College’s Krampert Theatre. Headlining the conference with the Governor will be Assistant Secretary of the Interior C. Stephen Allred.
“The scientific picture is clear,” Freudenthal said. “We need to roll up our sleeves and develop a plan to protect and restore core sage grouse habitat.”
The Governor emphasized that the consequences of not acting would be dire for both the bird, and for all interested parties.
“We have a narrow window of opportunity to protect the grouse and prevent it from being listed as an endangered species,” Freudenthal said. “My hope is that we can formulate a more unified plan that wil lbalance protection with reasonable energy exploration, grazing and other activities that have and will continue to take place in sage grousehabitat.”
The issue has reached a level of urgency strong enough to draw together a range of prominent stakeholders. Joining Freudenthal and Allred wil lbe BLM Wyoming State Director Bob Bennett, Wyoming Game and Fish Director Terry Cleveland, Executive Director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Bob Budd and other notable speakers representing the energy industry, conservation groups and private landowners.
“It promises to be a lively discussion that hopefully will result ina coordinated plan to move forward,” Freudenthal said. “I encourage all interested parties to attend so we can immediately begin to addressthe challenge before us.”
A detailed agenda for the summit will be released soon and posted onthe Governor’s Web site: http://governor.wy.gov.
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