Agency wants to see what action Legislature takes first
CHRIS MERRILL Star-Tribune environment reporter | Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 12:00 am
JACKSON - The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has once again put off developing rules for farm-raised sage grouse in Wyoming, citing several potential problems with the controversial legislative directive.
In a meeting here Monday afternoon, the Game and Fish Commission agreed to wait at least until the state Legislature has had a chance to reassemble and perhaps revisit the issue this winter.
Commissioner Fred Lindzey, a retired biologist and professor emeritus from the University of Wyoming, seemed to speak for most, if not all, of the commissioners when he said, "I think we all have philosophical-slash-biological problems with this."
The sage grouse, as a species, has been in decline for years, and many biologists believe it is on the verge of becoming endangered.
Earlier this year the Legislature directed the Game and Fish Department to develop regulations to allow farms to raise native sage grouse for release. The directive was included as a footnote to a budget bill, said Eric Keszler, spokesman for the Game and Fish Department.
The Game and Fish Commission is the agency's decision-making body.
The commission asked state Attorney General Bruce Salzburg in September whether it was legally bound to create sage grouse farming rules.
The attorney general said in his opinion the commission is legally bound to create the new rules within a reasonable period of time.
The Game and Fish Department created rules this summer to comply with the legislation, but almost all of the public comment was decidedly against the idea, Keszler said.
Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, who introduced the legislation, told The Associated Press last week the measure was intended to help provide sage grouse for hunting.
During Monday's meeting, all of the commissioners who spoke expressed varying degrees of skepticism, hesitance and frustration about the legislation.
"This bill may have started out with the best of intentions, but the way it came out, as a footnote to another bill, it's a poor way of doing business," said commissioner Bill Williams, a veterinarian from Thermopolis.
Williams recommended the commission "table" the issue, at least until its January or March meetings, to see if the Legislature will "make this thing more palatable."
Several commissioners called for more evaluation of the idea to determine if it makes sense, biologically, to even attempt farm-raising the birds.
The commissioners also seemed to agree the goal of such a hypothetical operation should only be for the purpose of re-establishing a wild population of the bird.
"If we're going to raise sage grouse, let's figure out how to raise them to live in the wild, not for some put-and-take operation," said commissioner Ron Lovercheck of La Grange.
Commissioner Clark Allan agreed.
"I'm glad you said that, because that's been kind of the elephant in the room," he said.
Lindzey also spoke up in support of Lovercheck's position.
"If we were to do this, it should be to re-establish a population, not as a hunting operation," he said.
In the end, the commission decided not to "table" the issue but to make it a point of action that the body will address in March, after the upcoming legislative session is complete.
Contact environment reporter Chris Merrill at chris.merrill@trib.com or at (307) 267-6722.
Last we knew: Wyoming�s attorney general advised the state Game and Fish Commission that it was legally bound to follow a legislative directive to create rules for private sage grouse farming.
The latest: The commission decided to put off any rule-making until after the coming legislative session.
What�s next: The commission is set to revisit the issue in March.]]->