Forest Service extended comment period on greater sage-grouse

The U.S. Forest Service has extended the comment period on amendments to the Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado Land Management Plans for the greater sage-grouse to Aug. 15. Amendments deal with the topics identified during that scoping process for the plans. These include adaptive management, allowable land uses, disturbance caps, the Endangered Species Act, fire management and invasive species, habitat mapping, habitat objectives, lek buffers, livestock grazing, mitigation, noise limitations, population management, predation, required design features, role of science, sagebrush focal areas, socioeconomics, and wild horses and burros. More information on the proposed amendments can be found here. The Forest Service prefers comments be submitted through its own online portal here. — WLJ