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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C86EFE.E122C540 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Groups act to save grouse MARK HUME=20 February 14, 2008 Globe and Mail=20 VANCOUVER - With its stunning plumage and a courtship dance that is = known as one of nature's most amazing spectacles, the greater = sage-grouse has become an icon of the wild, prairie grasslands. But the dance of the largest and some might say the most beautiful of = all North American grouse has been rapidly fading from the landscape. In Canada, where they are found only in southwest Alberta and southeast = Saskatchewan, there are about 600 birds in total, down from 6,000 a few = decades ago. At the same time, the number of active dancing sites has = dropped to 17 from 82 and the habitat range has declined by 96 per cent. Now, several environmental groups are launching a Federal Court action = against John Baird, the Minister of Environment, claiming the government = hasn't been protecting the places where the birds gather to dance and = raise their broods. In a court application that was filed in Vancouver late yesterday, = Ecojustice Canada argues the federal government has violated the Species = At Risk Act by failing to identify critical habitat in a recovery = strategy that was released just last month. "Essentially, what we are asking the court for is ... to expressly find = that the Minister of Environment broke the law," said Devon Page, a = staff lawyer with Ecojustice Canada. The application seeks an order quashing the government's greater = sage-grouse recovery strategy and declarations that the minister "erred = in law ... acted without jurisdiction ... [and] based his decision on an = erroneous finding of fact made in a perverse or capricious manner." Mr. Page said the Alberta Wilderness Association, Federation of Alberta = Naturalists, Grasslands Naturalists, Nature Saskatchewan and Western = Canada Wilderness Committee want the recovery strategy revoked and = re-released with critical habitat included. Mr. Page, who is already pursuing a similar action in Federal Court = concerning the endangered Nooksack dace, a freshwater fish in British = Columbia, said a pattern has emerged in which the government's recovery = strategies for endangered species do not identify critical habitat, even = when scientists have mapped it. He said the government doesn't want to include habitat because then it = would have to protect it - and with the greater sage-grouse, that might = create conflict with the oil and gas industry, livestock operations and = highway expansion. Environment Canada officials couldn't be reached for comment last night, = but in the Nooksack dace case, federal lawyers have argued the = complaints are too broad and call for a review of policy that would be = better suited to a royal commission than to a court hearing. The federal recovery strategy states its goals are to ensure no further = loss of sage-grouse dancing grounds and to increase the breeding = population, but Mark Boyce, with the Department of Biological Sciences = at the University of Alberta, says to save the bird the government will = first have to save its habitat. "It's desperately endangered, mostly because of habitat loss," Dr. Boyce = said of the greater sage-grouse, which was added to the endangered = species list in 1998. He said the population is so low that "any turn for the worse [in = environmental conditions] could cause them to go extinct." Dr. Boyce said researchers know exactly where the birds range and it = would be possible for the government "to lay out our maps and say here's = where we have critical rearing and brooding habitat and you can't build = roads there." Such restrictions would not harm the oil and gas industry, because "they = could go around these areas" and use directional wells to get at = deposits, he said. Dr. Boyce, who has been studying the birds since 1977, said the mating = dances typically involve 20 to 30 males at a single location, and are = "truly one of the most amazing spectacles of the animal world."=20 In spring, the adult birds, which weight about three kilograms, gather = at sites known as leks, where the males perform a dance competition to = attract mates. Puffing out their brilliant white chests, displaying tail feathers, and = making a popping sound with air sacs, they compete for days until a = dominant male occupies the centre of the lek. The winner of the dance-off gets to breed with 80 per cent of the = females. ....................... In this morning's Globe and Mail, there is an interesting article on the = dramatic decrease in the population of the endangered Sage Grouse in = Canada. The species is disappearing due to habitat loss - = unfortunately, an all too common story among birds of the grasslands. = Several NGO's are taking the Environment Minister (John Baird) to court = for failing to preserve appropriate habitat.=20 Unfortunately, the article does not appear to be on-line yet but should = be later in the day. Bob McDonald ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C86EFE.E122C540 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16608" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial> <DIV id=3Dheadline _counted=3D"undefined"> <H2 _counted=3D"undefined">Groups act to save grouse</H2></DIV> <DIV id=3Dauthor _counted=3D"undefined"> <P class=3Dbyline _counted=3D"undefined">MARK HUME </P> <P class=3Dsource _counted=3D"undefined">February 14, = 2008 Globe=20 and Mail </P></DIV> <DIV id=3Darticle style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 100%" _counted=3D"undefined"><!-- = Tim Test: Generic, tgamv3/v5/story/BNStory.html, , BNStory --><!-- Tim = Test2: --><!-- Tim Test3: false --><!-- Tim Test5: true --><!-- Tim = Test: Generic, tgamv3/v5/story/BNStory.html, 0, BNStory --> <P _counted=3D"undefined"><!-- dateline -->VANCOUVER<!-- /dateline --> = =97 With its=20 stunning plumage and a courtship dance that is known as one of nature's = most=20 amazing spectacles, the greater sage-grouse has become an icon of the = wild,=20 prairie grasslands.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">But the dance of the largest and some might = say the most=20 beautiful of all North American grouse has been rapidly fading from the=20 landscape.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">In Canada, where they are found only in = southwest=20 Alberta and southeast Saskatchewan, there are about 600 birds in total, = down=20 from 6,000 a few decades ago. At the same time, the number of active = dancing=20 sites has dropped to 17 from 82 and the habitat range has declined by 96 = per=20 cent.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Now, several environmental groups are = launching a=20 Federal Court action against John Baird, the Minister of Environment, = claiming=20 the government hasn't been protecting the places where the birds gather = to dance=20 and raise their broods.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">In a court application that was filed in = Vancouver late=20 yesterday, Ecojustice Canada argues the federal government has violated = the=20 Species At Risk Act by failing to identify critical habitat in a = recovery=20 strategy that was released just last month.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">"Essentially, what we are asking the court for = is ... to=20 expressly find that the Minister of Environment broke the law," said = Devon Page,=20 a staff lawyer with Ecojustice Canada.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">The application seeks an order quashing the = government's=20 greater sage-grouse recovery strategy and declarations that the minister = "erred=20 in law ... acted without jurisdiction ... [and] based his decision on an = erroneous finding of fact made in a perverse or capricious manner."</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Mr. Page said the Alberta Wilderness = Association,=20 Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Grasslands Naturalists, Nature = Saskatchewan=20 and Western Canada Wilderness Committee want the recovery strategy = revoked and=20 re-released with critical habitat included.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Mr. Page, who is already pursuing a similar = action in=20 Federal Court concerning the endangered Nooksack dace, a freshwater fish = in=20 British Columbia, said a pattern has emerged in which the government's = recovery=20 strategies for endangered species do not identify critical habitat, even = when=20 scientists have mapped it.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">He said the government doesn't want to include = habitat=20 because then it would have to protect it - and with the greater = sage-grouse,=20 that might create conflict with the oil and gas industry, livestock = operations=20 and highway expansion.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Environment Canada officials couldn't be = reached for=20 comment last night, but in the Nooksack dace case, federal lawyers have = argued=20 the complaints are too broad and call for a review of policy that would = be=20 better suited to a royal commission than to a court hearing.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">The federal recovery strategy states its goals = are to=20 ensure no further loss of sage-grouse dancing grounds and to increase = the=20 breeding population, but Mark Boyce, with the Department of Biological = Sciences=20 at the University of Alberta, says to save the bird the government will = first=20 have to save its habitat.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">"It's desperately endangered, mostly because = of habitat=20 loss," Dr. Boyce said of the greater sage-grouse, which was added to the = endangered species list in 1998.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">He said the population is so low that "any = turn for the=20 worse [in environmental conditions] could cause them to go extinct."</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Dr. Boyce said researchers know exactly where = the birds=20 range and it would be possible for the government "to lay out our maps = and say=20 here's where we have critical rearing and brooding habitat and you can't = build=20 roads there."</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Such restrictions would not harm the oil and = gas=20 industry, because "they could go around these areas" and use directional = wells=20 to get at deposits, he said.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Dr. Boyce, who has been studying the birds = since 1977,=20 said the mating dances typically involve 20 to 30 males at a single = location,=20 and are "truly one of the most amazing spectacles of the animal world." = </P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">In spring, the adult birds, which weight about = three=20 kilograms, gather at sites known as leks, where the males perform a = dance=20 competition to attract mates.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">Puffing out their brilliant white chests, = displaying=20 tail feathers, and making a popping sound with air sacs, they compete = for days=20 until a dominant male occupies the centre of the lek.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">The winner of the dance-off gets to breed with = 80 per=20 cent of the females.</P> <P _counted=3D"undefined">.......................</FONT></P></DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>In this morning's Globe and Mail, there is an = interesting=20 article on the dramatic decrease in the population of the endangered = Sage Grouse=20 in Canada. The species is disappearing due to habitat loss -=20 unfortunately, an all too common story among birds of the = grasslands. =20 Several NGO's are taking the Environment Minister (John Baird) to court = for=20 failing to preserve appropriate habitat. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Unfortunately, the article does not appear to be = on-line yet=20 but should be later in the day.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Bob McDonald</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C86EFE.E122C540--
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