This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The story of the sage grouse is one of Western collaboration and cooperation. Folks put politics aside to create conservation solutions that work for communities. These management plans conserve the sagebrush steppe — relied on by hundreds of species — while keeping our public lands open to diverse multiple uses, including energy development, ranching and grazing, as well as hunting and angling.
Yet in Washington, D.C., these plans are under attack, with lawmakers like Rep. Rob Bishop leading the charge.
These elected officials would sell our public lands, all while shutting out the many stakeholders who worked so hard to find common ground. This strategy likely would ensure the sage grouse an endangered listing due to changes in management of its habitat — a scenario the plans currently in place have avoided.
Unless we speak up, not only our wildlife will be jeopardized. Utah's outdoors-reliant economy also hangs in the balance.
Bishop should stand with sportsmen, ranchers, business owners, local officials and recreationists to ensure these plans are fully funded and implemented. Bishop must drop the anticonservation rhetoric and honor these partnerships, and support our wildlife, public lands and the Western sagebrush steppe.
Jay Beyer
Cottonwood Heights