U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today the completion of a series of final environmental impact statements focusing on sage grouse in the west. Public Information Officer Donald Smurthwaite with the Idaho State Bureau of Land Management office said these changes are particularly focused in southern Idaho and southwestern Montana.

"The final environmental impact statement really goes hand in glove with a lot of the state efforts," Smurthwaite said. "The states, both Montana and Idaho, have been working closely with the federal agencies and a lot of other stakeholders in trying to come up with a plan that will preserve sage grouse habitat."

The plan looks to improve the health of sagebrush landscapes and the overall population of the sage-grouse. Smurthwaite said it has been a wide-ranging and highly cooperative effort.

"They West is rapidly changing with increasingly intense wildfires, invasive species and development altering the sagebrush landscape and threatening wildlife, ranching and our outdoor heritage," Jewell said. "As land managers of two-thirds of greater sage grouse habitat, we have a responsibility to take action that ensures a bright future for wildlife and a thriving western economy."

"Right now we're at the final environmental impact statement stage and there is a 60-day period where governors can review the documents and they can see how well they stack up with their own plans and policies," Smurthwaite said. "There's also a 30-day protest period."

Smurthwaite said when both periods are over, the agencies will then work on a "record of decision" which is when the final plan would begin to take effect.

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