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600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
December 30, 1997
Contact: Margaret Ainscough, 360-902-2408
Meetings to focus on grouse protection recommendations
OLYMPIA -- Public meetings will be held January 7 to 22 on a Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife proposal to add sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse
to the state's list of threatened species.
Meetings on the recommended listings will be held in the following locations:
| Location | Date | Time | Address |
| Mill Creek |
Jan. 7 |
6 to 8 p.m. |
WDFW Region 4 Office |
| | | 16018 Mill Creek Blvd. |
| Vancouver |
Jan. 8 | 6 to 8 p.m. |
WDFW Region 5 Office |
| | | 2018 Grand Blvd. |
| Waterville |
Jan. 13 |
7 to 9 p.m. |
Waterville Fire Hall |
| | | 106 N. Chelan St. |
| Davenport |
Jan. 14 |
5 to 7 p.m. |
Lincoln Co. Courthouse, Comm. Mtg. Room |
| | | 450 Logan St. |
| Okanogan |
Jan. 15> |
7 to 9 p.m. |
Okanogan PUD Auditorium |
| | | 1331 Second Ave. N. |
| Montesano |
Jan. 21 |
6 to 8 p.m. |
WDFW Region 6 Office |
| | | 48B Devonshire Rd. |
| Moxee |
Jan. 22 |
7 to 9 p.m. |
255 W. Seattle Ave. |
The meetings are being held to gather public comment on the draft listing
proposals before a final version of the recommendations is presented in April to the
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Increased protection is recommended for the grouse after surveys showed that
populations of both species have declined dramatically in eastern Washington.
Following the public meetings, state biologists will prepare final status reports
and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) documents, which will be available to the
public in early March.
The WDFW maintains a list of threatened, endangered and sensitive state
species separate from the list maintained by the federal government. Threatened
species are considered likely to become endangered unless preventive steps are
taken. There are 23 endangered, nine threatened and two sensitive species on the
state's list.
The sage grouse, historically found throughout much of the western United States, has
declined in this state to fewer than 1,000 birds in Douglas, Grant, Yakima and Kittitas
counties.
Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, the rarest of six North American species of
sharptails, once were plentiful in eastern Washington but have declined to about 700
birds in scattered pockets of Douglas, Lincoln and Okanogan counties.
Written comments on the status reports and listing recommendations may be
mailed by Jan. 23 to Harriet Allen, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600
Capitol Way N., Olympia 98501-1091.
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