California Fish And Commission Petitions To List Greater Sage Grouse As Threatened

The California Fish and Game Commission has posted a petition to list the greater sage grouse as endangered. Here’s the petition with the details:

Notice of Receipt of Petition

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION NOTICE OF RECEIPT OF PETITION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the provisions of Fish and Game Code Section 2073.3, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission), on November 21, 2022 received a petition from Ileene Anderson and Lisa Belenky, Center for Biological Diversity to list greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a threatened or endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act.

The greater sage-grouse is a large, gallinaceous bird that evolved in sagebrush ecosystems. It is the largest grouse found in North America, with males generally being nearly twice the size of females. Greater sage-grouse in California occupy the western periphery of this species’ overall range and represent 7% of its overall population.

The greater sage-grouse is almost completely dependent on large expanses of sagebrush dominated habitat for existence. They depend on a variety of semiarid shrub-grassland habitats throughout their life cycle. Because sage-grouse depend on high-quality habitats that historically were relatively extensive in nature, they are often used as an indicator of the health of a broader ecosystem of sagebrush dependent species.

Pursuant to Section 2073 of California Fish and Game Code, on December 1, 2022, the Commission transmitted the petition to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) for review pursuant to Section 2073.5 of said code. The Commission will receive the petition at its February 8-9, 2023 meeting, in Sacramento. It is anticipated that the Department’s evaluation and recommendation relating to the petition will be received by the Commission at its April 19-20, 2023 meeting.

For information about the petition or to submit information to the Department relating to the petitioned species, interested parties may contact Neil Clipperton, Endangered Species Unit Supervisor, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, by mail at P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, California 94244-2090, telephone at (916) 373-6620, or email at wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov .

California Fish and Game Commission