Nevada is still fighting with the Interior Department over the sage grouse.
Last fall, the department decided not to put the small, chicken-like bird on the Endangered Species List. Instead, it put in place land use plans that critics say are more restrictive to industry than if the bird had been listed.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewel has been open to talking with western states impacted by these land use restrictions. And there is some evidence that further research on these protected areas bolsters the states' case that some lands shouldn't be restricted.
On Jan. 15, Governor Brian Sandoval formally asked the Interior Department to release some lands in the restricted use plans in exchange for others.
Liz Munn, Sagebrush Ecosystem Program Manager, Nature Conservancy
