[Emile]

Really funny that this bird is found only on private land. Or is the reason that it is, that the government has taken such bad care of its land that the bird can't live there any more?

It's not enough the government has taken a majority of the land in the West -- its goal apparently is to have it all, so that it can all become as worthless as what it has now.

[Carry_Okie]

The Deseret Ranch has ten times the sage grouse density as the neighboring BLM land. The reason is simple. Sage grouse eat leafy vegetation. Those plants absolutely depend upon soil disturbance for germination that cows or elk provide. Everybody involved knows it, including FedGov.

San Juan County Planner Nick Sandberg explained that challenging the designation as an endangered species may be difficult because it is part of the settlement of a lawsuit.

Challenge it? They should JOIN it, holding Federal agencies responsible for the loss of appropriate habitat as the superior stewards they are. They should compete with the agencies and activists for delivery of larger sage grouse populations. If the ranchers are fools enough to get sucked into the Hegelian trap being set for them, they'll only have themselves to blame.