--- title: Trump Administration Targets Sage Grouse Bird for Review description: The Department of Interior has launched a review of the species protection plan for the sage grouse, which took decades to negotiate canonical: https://time.com/4811611/sage-grouse-trump-administration-zinke/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-08T20:48:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T05:20:37.732Z article:section: Science og:title: Why the Trump Administration Is Targeting This Rare Bird og:description: The Sage Grouse has been a controversial animal for years og:url: https://time.com/4811611/sage-grouse-trump-administration-zinke/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7508ebe4afc5d1da/6988d0f18fd2eef530357737/sage-grouse-interior-department.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: sage grouse interior og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why the Trump Administration Is Targeting This Rare Bird twitter:description: The Sage Grouse has been a controversial animal for years twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7508ebe4afc5d1da/6988d0f18fd2eef530357737/sage-grouse-interior-department.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the Trump Administration Is Targeting This Rare Bird  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 8, 2017 8:48 PM UTC  During the March to May mating season, Gunnison Sage Grouse males display their plumes bulging air sacs, white breasts and spiky tail feathers. During the March to May mating season, Gunnison Sage Grouse males display their plumes bulging air sacs, white breasts and spiky tail feathers.Helen H. Richardson—Denver Post via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 8, 2017 8:48 PM UTC For half a decade, the sage grouse held the dubious honor of being one of the most fought over birds in the United States as conservationists tried to guard its habitat while landowners countered that such protections could slow economic growth. After years of review, stakeholders reached an agreement in 2015 to avoid listing the species as endangered, prompting strict rules about its habitat. Now, President Trump’s Department of Interior has launched a 60-day review of the species protection plan negotiated by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, 11 states and landowners. The [order](https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/so%5F3353.pdf), issued by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, says the review process will consider improvements to conservation efforts while taking into account “the value of energy and other development of public lands.” “While the federal government has a responsibility under the Endangered Species Act to responsibly manage wildlife, destroying local communities and levying onerous regulations on the public lands that they rely on is no way to be a good neighbor,” Zinke said in a [press release](https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-signs-order-improve-sage-grouse-conservation-strengthen-communication). Oil and gas energy interests engaged in the process of developing a plan to save the species, but viewed the outcome as a mixed result. The lack of an endangered species represented a win, though the companies remained unhappy that the federal government retained authority to manage the species on public land. The sage grouse population is [estimated](http://wilderness.org/blog/sage-grouse-decision-conserves-far-more-sage-grouse) to have declined to half of its population since the 1970s, but the importance of protecting the species for conservation groups extends beyond the this particular bird. The habitat protected to conserve the sage grouse, which touches 11 states, is also home to more than 350 other species that benefit from the protections, according to the National Wildlife Federation. The vast area and the number of species on that land made the bird a prime target for protection by conservation groups. “Secretary Zinke’s order undermines years of bipartisan collaboration to conserve the greater sage–grouse,” saidChris Saeger, executive director of the Western Values Project, a government watchdog group. “It is a slap in the face to Western communities, coalitions, wildlife managers, private landowners, industry groups, and governors in both parties.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4811611/sage-grouse-trump-administration-zinke/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4811611/sage-grouse-trump-administration-zinke/"},"headline":"Why the Trump Administration Is Targeting This Rare Bird","datePublished":"2017-06-08T20:48:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T05:20:37.732Z","description":"The Sage Grouse has been a controversial animal for years","url":"https://time.com/4811611/sage-grouse-trump-administration-zinke/","keywords":["animals","Environment","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7508ebe4afc5d1da/6988d0f18fd2eef530357737/sage-grouse-interior-department.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7508ebe4afc5d1da/6988d0f18fd2eef530357737/sage-grouse-interior-department.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"sage grouse interior","caption":"sage grouse interior","creditText":"Helen H. 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