It’s another conservation battle gone to the birds. Wyoming’s blocking of wind energy studies, development and turbines within core habitat areas of the sage grouse is ruffling feathers among wind development proponents. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s moves to protect the sage grouse have been designed to help the state dodge more restrictive rules that would come along with an Endangered Species Act listing. The sage grouse in the United States is currently listed as a candidate for endangered species status.

Studies have found that sage grouse abandon breeding areas near oil drilling areas and tall structures where predators are likely to perch. Regulators seeking to minimize disruption to the birds have required that drilling rigs be at least one kilometer from known breeding areas — and since wind turbines are even taller, larger buffer zones may be required. The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and a coalition of conservation groups recently recommended a five-mile buffer for wind developments, the same standard the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been recommending since 2003.

Wyoming’s  Freudenthal sniped at environmentalists after receiving a state sage grouse policy team recommendation on the same day that some environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit over the bird’s status. “They’re suing while we’re doing the work,” Freudenthal said. “We’re doing what they should be doing — conserving — but they’d rather litigate than fix anything.” The Western Watersheds Project of Idaho, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians filed suit late last month against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming delays in handling the grouse’s endangered status are a violation of the Endangered Species Act.

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