Trying to head off ESA listing, Wyoming expands "core" PAs for sage grouse
Governor Dave Freudenthal issued an executive order Aug. 25 to revise a previous executive order on the Wyoming sage grouse Core Population Area (CPA) policy. The first executive order, issued in 2008, established the CPA policy as a way to stave off any possibility of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) listing the high-desert bird under the Endangered Species Act.
When the DOI declined to list the sage grouse, it noted the bird warranted listing, but, given limited funds, it was not a priority at the moment. This left the bird open to listing in the future. Wyoming took the opportunity to implement a plan that would protect the bird, limiting the possible need for federal government species management and oversight.