The National Wildlife Federation opposes an unrelated provision stuck on the National Defense Authorization Act and backed by the House Armed Services Committee that will do nothing for national security but could doom efforts to conserve one of the West’s signature species.
Jim Lyon, NWF’s vice president of conservation policy, said the committee’s rejection of an amendment to remove a rider preventing federal wildlife officials from addressing the declines of the Greater sage-grouse is a setback for communities, landowners and public agencies that have worked in good faith to save the bird.

"The National Wildlife Federation is deeply disappointed by the House Armed Services Committee’s vote to undermine years of work by states, local communities, private individuals and public land managers to conserve the Greater sage-grouse and the sagebrush country that is home to more than 350 other species including elk, mule deer, pronghorn, Golden eagles and ferruginous hawks," Lyon said. "By failing to strike the non-germane sage-grouse rider to the National Defense Authorization Act, the committee is endorsing efforts to prevent federal wildlife managers from addressing Westwide declines in the bird’s populations for yet another decade. The Defense Department has said it’s working with the Fish and Wildlife Service and doesn’t anticipate any conflicts on its installations, so there’s no good reason for the provision. This unnecessary delay will make it more difficult to avoid more drastic measures in the future to prevent the loss of this iconic Western species and the wide open Western landscape we all know as the land 'where the deer and antelope play.'"

































 
Additional Resources

Learn more

Read NWF’s letter asking the House Armed Services Committee to remove the sage-grouse provision.