Study: Gas Drilling Hurting Sage Grouse.

[Beowulf]

Sounds like the Enviroweenies are at it again:

BILLINGS, Mont. - A boost in methane gas drilling in parts of Montana and Wyoming may be a factor in the shrinking population of sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird slowly being squeezed out of its habitat by development, a study shows.
Lead researcher David Naugle, a wildlife professor at the University of Montana, said preliminary findings show the need to find a new way of thinking when it comes to coal-bed methane development and wildlife conservation in the mineral-rich Powder River Basin.
"There are going to have to be some tough decisions," he said.

The rest: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060616/ap_on_sc/methane_sage_grouse

[aaron11]

WTF? moron...

[Lubbock]

Wildlife professors. Is there anything they don't know?

[dajoga]

Sage grouse?? Never saw one, but, hey, if they join the dinosaurs, life just won't be the same, will it? Humanity will be forever depressed!
BTW, are they good to eat? Fun to hunt? Maybe we should take care of them!:smirky:

[Riverboat]

Well, if the sage grouse aren't smart enough to get out of the way of heavy machinery, then they ain't so sage after all, and they oughtta quit grousing.

[DoctorDoom]

Since the article does not list the species, it's difficult to find specific info. However, the gov has denied requests to list the Greater Sage Grouse (http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/sagegrouse/) as threatened or endangered.

http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/sagegrouse/males.jpg

http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/sagegrouse/greatersagegegrouse.jpg

Ditto the Gunnison Sage Grouse (http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/gunnisonsagegrouse/).

http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/birds/gunnisonsagegrouse/grouse_gunnisonsage_copyrighted.jpg

[Rink]

Why dont they just list ALL wildlife as 'endangered' so that humans cant touch nature and have to live in megacities and never touch foot on green grass again for fear they may tread on some poor helpless innocent Ant!!

This is getting beyond rediculous to practical animal-worship pagan-style by these environmentalists.

I've always wondered why Environmentalists dont go build churches to their sacred special protected species and go in and worship them and offer incense and prayers for the violation of these sacred special protected species of theirs?

[Antigone]

Well, if the sage grouse aren't smart enough to get out of the way of heavy machinery, then they ain't so sage after all, and they oughtta quit grousing.
:hahaha:

[Antigone]

I've always wondered why Environmentalists dont go build churches to their sacred special protected species and go in and worship them and offer incense and prayers for the violation of these sacred special protected species of theirs?

Who says they don't? For all we know they do, we heathen's are just not allowed to know where they are. :biggrin:

[DesertFox]

What the Rinker said.