Birders, conservationists object to sage grouse farming extension

SHERIDAN — A bill to continue greater sage grouse bird farming — a controversial practice adopted by Wyoming in 2017 in addition to other conservation efforts for the sage grouse — passed a third reading in the Senate Friday. Now received for introduction in the House, if passed, the bill would prolong sage grouse bird farms indefinitely. 
However, the bill sparks many of the same concerns for conservationists as the 2017 law that first allowed sage grouse farming, who argue the bill does little to ensure the long-term growth of sage grouse populations. 
Sage grouse are currently farmed at a Powell game bird operation called Diamond Wings Upland Game Birds, with support from the Western States Sage Grouse Recovery Foundation and oversight from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the ranch’s owner, Dennis Brabec, explained before the Senate’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee Feb. 22. 
President of the WSSGRF Diemer True explained to the legislators the goal of the ranch’s experiment — which began with the ratification of the 2017 sage grouse farming authorization law — was to determine whether sage grouse can be raised in captivity. 
“I’ve got really good news: we can,” True said before the committee, explaining Diamond Wings now has a flock of 51 sage grouse to use as breeding stock. 
The problem is, Brabec said, the ranch needs more time to determine whether those sage grouses will breed and lay eggs in captivity. 
The proposed bill would amend Wyoming’s Game and Fish guidelines by removing the sunset date — Dec. 31, 2022 — originally associated with the state’s 2017 sage grouse farming law. During the third reading of the bill before the Senate Friday, legislators proposed an alternative sunset date of Dec. 31, 2032 to the law but did not approve it. As a result, authorization for sage grouse farming will continue indefinitely if the bill is passed. 
However, conservationists raised considerable concerns about the benefits of the farming operation and the viability of sage grouse raised in captivity to survive and successfully reproduce in the wild, said Daly Edmunds, Policy and Outreach Director for Audubon Rockies, the regional branch of the National Audubon Society, a bird and avian habitat protection organization. 
From a conservation perspective, the bill — and its associated sage grouse farming practice — includes three primary issues, Edmunds said.
First, the bill prolongs an ineffective conservation strategy, Edmunds said. The primary threats to the bird are related to habitat issues, meaning the bill does not effectively address the main problem facing sage grouse populations. Edmunds said farm-raised sage grouse could even pose risks to wild populations by spreading disease. 
Additionally, Edmunds explained it is difficult for farm-raised sage grouse to survive and reproduce after being released in the wild, so difficult that the strategy may not be effective at all. A recent report from the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies indicated tepid success rates and limited applicability for farmed sage grouse survival after release. 
“There is a consensus among scientists that this is not an appropriate [conservation strategy] for sage grouse,” Edmunds said.
Finally, Edmunds said the sage grouse farming practice privatizes the state’s wildlife — a public good — by transforming sage grouse into a product for potential corporate gain. Before the Senate Committee on Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources, however, True and Brabec said the current sage grouse farming operation is a purely experimental — not profitable — enterprise for Diamond Wings Upland Game Birds. 
Sheridan County’s own Audubon organization, the Bighorn Audubon Society, raised similar concerns about the bill. Bighorn Audubon board member JoAnne Puckett said the bill did not reflect Wyoming values. 
“Far from a flourishing business, sage grouse farming is a risky private experiment with little chance of long-term success,” Puckett wrote in a recent message opposing the bill to Bighorn Audubon members. “Privately farmed sage grouse won’t support our long-term goals of maintaining viable wild grouse populations — only healthy, well-protected habitat can do that.”

Representatives from other conservation organizations, including the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Wyoming Outdoor Council and Indigenous Land Alliance of Wyoming, also objected to the bill before the Senate Committee Feb. 22. 
The bill’s fate will likely be determined by deliberations in the House this week.
 
This story was published on March 1