Gov. says sage grouse listing would be dire CHEYENNE, WY (wpr) - If the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service decides to add sage grouse to the endangered species list, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal says the state will have to start shutting down mineral development and other activities. Sage grouse numbers are down in the West, but Freudenthal does not believe the sage grouse should be listed in Wyoming although he admits he is nervously awaiting the federal decision: "If it turns out being listed it's going to effect everybody from the outfitter to the recreationist, oil and gas to the agriculturist. A lot of times people walk into a sage grouse lek and don't they are doing it, they certainly end up in the buffer zone. If it becomes listed, then all of this becomes difficult. You end up with incidental take rules, you end up with federal enforcement."

Freudenthal says half of the sage grouse population in North America resides in Wyoming. The federal decision on the sage grouse is expected within the next week. The state developed a working group to try and offer protections for the bird in Wyoming. © Copyright 2012, wpr