"BOISE, Idaho — Plans for protecting sage grouse in five Western states are being changed in ways that will conserve habitat while allowing ranchers to maintain their livelihoods, federal officials said Thursday.
The U.S. Forest Service said the changes allow for greater flexibility and local control, but details of the plans involving Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado aren’t being made public until Friday.
“The Forest Service continues to promote our multiple use mission while ensuring conservation of greater sage grouse habitat,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in a statement. “We are sharing the stewardship of the lands with western state governors — their extensive participation throughout this process was the key to landscape-scale conservation that aligns our policies and practices across local, state, and federal jurisdictions.”
Environmental groups blasted the plan based on the Forest Service’s three-bullet-point summary released Thursday ahead of Friday’s final environmental impact statement, which are typically long and complex documents."
Keith Ridler reports for the Associated Press August 1, 2019.
Advertisement 
