Species of Special Concern
 Sage Grouse
For an in-depth look at sage grouse species, habitat
requirements, and landscape management for sage grouse see the
plans of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,
individual state agencies, and collaborative working groups. Resources
on these links discuss effects of oil and gas development on grouse,
strategies and practices for habitat management within oil and
gas fields, and monitoring practices.
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife
Greater
Sage-Grouse Comprehensive Conservation Strategy
Colorado
Greater
and Gunnison Sage Grouse Conservation Plans
Wyoming
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Greater
Sage Grouse Management Plan
Keeping
Birds in the Sagebrush Sea
Wyoming
Sage-Grouse Research Reports
Petroleum Association of Wyoming -
Sage Grouse Management
Greater
sage-grouse population response to natural gas field development
in western Wyoming
Sage
Grouse Winter Habitat Selection and Energy Development in the
Powder River Basin: Completion Report
Sage-grouse
Population Response to Coal-bed Natural Gas Development in the
Powder River Basin: Interim Progress Report on Region-wide Lek-count
Analyses
 Biodiversity
Conservation Alliance -
Additional Sage Grouse Studies
Western North America
Adaptive management of prairie grouse:
How do we get there?
Development
in Western North America: Effects on Sagebrush Steppe Avifauna
with Particular Emphasis on Sage-grouse
How
Many is Too Many: A Review of Road Density Thresholds for Wildlife
Threatened and Endangered Species
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a powerful
federal law that regulates management of threatened and endangered
wildlife species through critical habitat designations and strict
controls on activities that could cause harm to protected species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the ESA as it applies
to both private and public entities, but state wildlife agencies
play a cooperative role in the listing and management of threatened
and endangered species. For background information on the ESA,
see the Red Lodge Clearinghouse Website: LAWS: Endangered
Species Act.
State Species of Concern
States also designate species of state concern
and develop management strategies for those species to prevent
a need for federal listing as threatened or endangered. See the
following links for information on state species of concern.
Colorado
Colorado
Division of Wildlife, Species of Concern
Colorado
Natural Heritage Program
Montana
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks -
Species
of Concern
Montana
Natural Heritage Program
New Mexico
New Mexico Wildlife Conservation -
Species
of Concern (BISON-M)
Oil
and Gas Development Guidelines, Conserving New Mexico’s Wildlife
Habitats and Wildlife
Natural
Heritage New Mexico
Utah
Utah
Conservation Data Center
Wyoming
Wyoming Game and Fish - Nongame
Species of Special Concern
Wyoming
Natural Diversity Database |
What Do We Know?
State wildlife agencies,
academics, industry and conservation groups all want to understand
the impact of development – including oil and gas development
– on wildlife populations. Many entities are sponsoring and participating
in research projects and wildlife monitoring efforts throughout
the Intermountain West. The following are links to agency web
sites and to a small sampling of that research. Please
help us bring more of this research to our web site community.
Click the ABOUT US button
to contribute information for this section.
General
Research
and Publications, Our Public Lands, National Wildlife Federation
Colorado
Colorado
Division of Wildlife Research
Literature
Review of Oil and Natural Gas Development Impacts on Prairie Grouse
Montana
Montana
Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
Montana
Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy
Montana
Petroleum Association – Wildlife Documents
New Mexico
New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources
Department – Land Conservation, Habitat Corridors and Wildlife Adaptations
New Mexico Game and Fish
Conservation
webpage - includes reports on various issues
Habitat
Fragmentation and the Effects of Roads on Wildlife and Habitats
Utah
Great
Basin Research Center
Wyoming
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Wyoming
Game and Fish Department Homepage
Recommendations
for Development of Oil and Gas Resources within Crucial and Important
Wildlife Habitats
Wyoming
Big Game Habitat Reports
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative
Wyoming Wildlife Federation: Oil
and Gas Development Research and Publications.
Western Ecosystems Technology Incorporated (WEST Inc). is a private
environmental consulting company that performs development impact
studies, primarily in Wyoming, for both the federal government
and private industry.
Mule
deer and pronghorn migration in western Wyoming
Sublette
Mule Deer Study (Phase II) Final Report
Final
Report for the Atlantic Rim Mule Deer Study
Seasonal
distribution and habitat use patterns of elk in the Jack Morrow
Hills Planning Area
Winter
habitat selection of mule deer before and during development of
a natural gas field
Big Game Species
Effects
of Roads on Elk: Implications for Management in Forested Ecosystems
Wyoming
Pronghorn Working Group
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Mule Deer Working
Group: Mule Deer in the West - Changing Landscapes Changing Perspectives.
Lesser Prairie Chickens and Wild Turkey
Ecology
and Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken
The
Relationship of Rio Grande Wild Turkey Distributions to Roads
Grizzly Bear
Analysis
of Road Densities in Selected Grizzly Bear Management Units in
the Northern Rockies
Review
of Oil and Gas Exploitation Impacts on Grizzly Bears
Fish
Wild
Fish Habitat Initiative
Effects
of Coalbed Methane Development on Great Plains Fish Assemblages
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The Landscape Approach
Understanding and protecting resources on a landscape
scale is also important to maintaining the biodiversity and unique
character of the Intermountain West. What does it mean to work
at a landscape scale and why is it important? What is habitat
fragmentation and how can it be minimized in responsible oil and
gas development? See the following resources to help answer these
questions:
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI)
The WLCI is a multi-partner, long-term,
science-based program to assess, monitor, and enhance aquatic
and terrestrial habitats at a landscape scale in southwest Wyoming,
while facilitating responsible development through local collaboration
and partnerships.
The Nature Conservancy
- Continental
Divide-Creston Project
BP is consulting with The Nature Conservancy
to manage impacts of the Continental Divide-Crestone Project near
Wamsutter Wyoming.
Western Governor’s Association
- Wildlife
Corridors Initiative
The Wildlife Corridors Initiative is
a multi-state and collaborative effort to improve knowledge of
and management for migratory corridors and crucial habitat.
Wildlife Mitigation Plans
 In Colorado, energy companies have the option to voluntarily work with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) to create a Wildlife Mitigation Plan (WMP). In developing the WMP, energy companies agree to Best Managment Practices (BMPs) and other measures that are expected to help “avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts from oil and gas activities to wildlife.” Species of concern in the plans will vary by location, but are likely to include elk, deer, raptors, sage grouse, and cutthroat trout. A WMP benefits wildlife and the CDOW as the plan is effective in long term wildlife planning on a landscape scale. For energy companies, having a plan in place eliminates the need to consult on mitigation measures with CDOW and other parties when submitting individual drilling permit applications.
In the plan, energy companies may also commit to perform or fund off-site mitigation to address impacts that cannot be avoided or minimized as well as fund CDOW research to learn how to better manage wildlife. Because a WMP is specific to a certain energy company, BMPs and other measures agreed to in the plan will vary for each WMP. By late 2010, over 320,000 acres in western Colorado were covered in WMPs developed with seven companies.
For a summary of WMPs in western Colorado, see the WMP status report.
Some Best Management Practices included in Wildlife Mitigation Plans:
Rule 1202 d:
Consultation under Rule 306.c shall not be required if: . . . (2) The Colorado Division of Wildlife has previously approved, in writing, a wildlife mitigation plan or other wildlife protection or conservation plan that remains in effect for the area that includes the proposed new oil and gas location and the oil and gas location is in compliance with such plan
- Locate roads as far from riparian areas and bottoms of drainages as possible and outside riparian habitat
- Manage traffic
- Use temporary living camps to house the resources needed to support the drilling operations
- Avoid or attempt to avoid drilling
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