Changes to Habitat Plans Released for Comment as Greater Sage-grouse Numbers Continue to Decline

(WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sept. 3, 2025) — Leading conservation and recreational groups are stressing the need for continued progress and collaboration following the release of proposed changes to final plans for the management of approximately 50 million acres of habitat for the Greater Sage-grouse, an imperiled bird that serves as a symbol of the American West. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the proposed changes to updated resource management plans this week to guide development, grazing, recreation and conservation across the vast sagebrush-covered landscape that stretches across eight states. Hundreds of species depend on sagebrush habitat deemed critical to the survival of the Greater Sage-grouse. The plans will be open for public comment for 30 days.  

The updated plans build on landmark 2015 science-based management plans that were the product of years of collaboration between federal and state leaders, local communities, and conservation and recreational organizations. These plans, and the protections they provided to sage-grouse, were the reason that the species was not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.  

While the accords enjoyed broad support from Western governors, ranchers and sportsmen, they were gradually weakened by later political rollbacks and inconsistent implementation.  

Following litigation and the release of updated research, the BLM has been working closely with states to finalize this latest round of planning. Final decisions were signed for the states of Colorado and Oregon in January 2025, and now the states of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and California are also near final. 

“This is a pivotal moment for the Greater sage-grouse,” said Alison Holloran, executive director of the Rockies regional office of the National Audubon Society. “In the past decade, the bird has disappeared completely from North Dakota and is still declining steeply across the rest of its range. We encourage the Bureau of Land Management and state governments to maintain a collaborative spirit as the real challenge begins—turning these plans into on-the-ground action.” 

“We appreciate the administration’s continued work with states and partners on updated Greater Sage-grouse plans; grouse continue to face steep declines and habitat loss across their range--we encourage the Bureau of Land Management to find and finalize durable, bipartisan solutions that protect the bird and the sagebrush habitats it depends on,” said Lee Davis, Public Lands Policy Specialist with the Nature Conservancy’s Sagebrush Sea Program.  

Thousands of Westerners submitted comments in summer of 2024 to the BLM on proposed amendments for more than 70 resource management plans (RMPs), covering 67 million acres of federally-managed lands where sage-grouse are found. Nineteen organizations submitted a letter calling on the BLM to reverse the bird’s steep decline and to choose durable, science-based approaches from among the alternatives proposed. 

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Media contact: 

Jason Howe, National Audubon Society: jason.howe@audubon.org