Sage-Grouse Update, Herd Plans on Tap for Colorado’s PWC
OutdoorHub 06.01.12
The Parks and Wildlife Commission will hear a series of presentations on the status of sage-grouse and receive several big game herd management plan updates during its monthly meeting in Craig.
The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Highway 13 in Craig, starting on June 7 at 1 p.m.. It is scheduled to adjourn for the evening and resume on Friday, June 8 at 8:30 a.m., concluding at noon.
During the meeting, commissioners will receive presentations on the status of conservation efforts for the greater sage-grouse in northwestern Colorado, the Gunnison sage-grouse in western Colorado and the lesser prairie chicken in southeastern Colorado.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is facing a September 31, 2012 deadline for issuing a proposed rule designating the Gunnison sage-grouse and lesser prairie chicken as endangered or threatened species, or determining that the species do not warrant federal endangered species protection. If the Fish and Wildlife Service decides to list either bird, it will propose to designate critical habitat at that time.
The federal agency is required to make a similar decision on greater sage-grouse by September 2015.
On Friday, Commissioners will also get their first look at proposed herd management plans for the Elevenmile elk herd, the Hugo, Thatcher and Yoder pronghorn herds and the Poudre-Rawah Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep herd.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is a 14-member board, appointed by the governor, which sets regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks wildlife programs. To view the complete agenda for the June Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting, please see the Commission web page: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ParksWildlifeCommission/Archives/2012/Pages/June7-8_2012.aspx.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meets monthly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation in its processes. The commission will travel to Sterling, Gunnison, Glenwood Springs, Durango, Yuma and Colorado Springs during the remainder of 2012.
Members of the public who are unable to attend Parks and Wildlife Commission meetings or workshops can listen to the proceedings through an Internet link. The commission provides this opportunity to keep constituents better informed about the development of regulations and how it is working with Parks and Wildlife staff to guide the management of parks, wildlife and outdoor recreation programs.
To access the live audio feed during the meeting, click on the “listen to live audio” link at the bottom of the commission webpage at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ParksWildlifeCommission/Pages/Commission.aspx.
