Throughout the western United States, populations of a chicken-size bird called the sage grouse are dwindling. Devon is doing its part to reverse this trend.
The sage grouse is known in part for its fear of manmade structures. Its plight already has altered drilling in Wyoming, Montana and elsewhere. Federal and state regulators require a two-mile setback from a known mating ground from March 15 to July 15. This requires companies like Devon to consider the sage grouse, among other wildlife, when developing drilling schedules.
However, Devon recognizes the bird’s importance and the need for actions to preserve it. That is why we are actively engaged in a government/industry partnership aimed at preventing the species from being placed on the endangered-species list.
Among our specific initiatives, Devon helped fund a state-led initiative in Wyoming to update maps detailing the sage grouse’s habitat. Also, for three straight winters the company aided the Bureau of Land Management’s efforts to restore sagebrush in Wyoming.
Bill Skelton, Devon’s production foreman in the Wind River Basin, performs weekly counts at four known mating grounds for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Skelton, an avid outdoorsman, also is part of a network of local working groups that develops projects aimed at preserving the sage grouse. Those groups report their findings to state officials.
On March 5, 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the sage grouse won't be placed on the endangered species list now. Instead, the agency's sage grouse conservation strategy will be refined in hopes of keeping the bird off the list. That could mean additional restrictions on drilling and additional scrutiny on applications to drill on federal land.
An endangered-species designation would have hurt several industries, predominantly energy and agriculture. At Devon, we have chosen to be advocates, rather than adversaries, concerning the bird’s long-term future.
A dilemma for environmentalists
The sage grouse’s habitat and diet are defined by sagebrush. Its current population and the reasons behind its decline are up for debate. Population estimates ranged from 150,000 to 500,000 as of 2005. However, one study found that the population in the Powder River Basin dropped by 86 percent between 2000 and 2005.
While environmental groups tend to blame oil and natural gas production, ranching operations and urban sprawl, many observers cite other causes. For instance, in Idaho, state wildlife officials think wildfires and an unknown problem – perhaps a West Nile Virus outbreak – cut the sage grouse population in half since 2006. Elsewhere, drought, predators, overgrazing of livestock and extreme temperatures are considered culprits.
One new factor also is being blamed: the development of wind energy. For environmentalists, this presents an awkward irony. Wind farm proposals, including one plan to place 1,000 turbines in the Washakie Basin, are being presented in Wyoming at a feverish pace. But if the sage grouse ultimately is deemed an endangered species, a glut of wind turbines and transmission lines could subject the state to environmental penalties, according to the New York Times.