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Association.
• Conservationists said the new initiative should not preclude a federal listing.
• "That is clearly the administration's desire," said Lisa Belenky, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity in San Francisco.
• "But these are voluntary measures, and we don't know if they will follow through with them," she said Friday. "They kind of gloss over the fact the threats are actually increasing. There are a number of utility lines and wind projects planned in the area with the bistate population, and without a listing we can't assure those will be evaluated in a way that really takes the sage grouse into account."
• In addition to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the USDA's Forest Service will focus efforts to stem the invasion of juniper and other conifers into the sagebrush habitat grasses that grouse need for nesting and protection from predators.
• "I applaud the NRCS, USFS and the BLM for their very significant commitments, which will help provide certainty that important conservation actions in key areas of the bird's habitat will continue to be implemented," said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who oversees both the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
• The service in October proposed protecting the distinct population along the Nevada-California line under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal would designate about 1.8 million acres as critical habitat.
• The bistate population is separate from the greater sage grouse population, which is also under consideration for protection. The service plans to make a decision by late 2015 on whether greater sage grouse also warrant protection.
• Weller said Friday's announcement should help spur similar efforts in the nine states beyond Nevada and California with greater sage grouse -- Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota.
• "It's bigger than just the bistate population," he said. "It puts a marker in the ground for the overall sage grouse population across the West."
•

• BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- The United States Department of Agriculture says North Dakota and South Dakota are two of five states eligible to receive a combined $8 million to help protect declining honey bee populations.
• The Conservation Reserve Program incentives will also be offered to farmers and ranchers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan who establish new habitats for

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