Conservation Briefs is a compilation of short news stories of interest to Outdoor News Bulletin readers. The stories cover a number of issues that have developed in the past month or provide updates on issues that were featured in previous ONB editions. Each story includes links to online resources for more details on each topic.

This Month:

• Chokecherry/Sierra Madre Wind Farm Permitting Moves Forward
• FWS Initiates Formal Status Review of Greater Sage-Grouse
• USDA Receives Nearly 600 Pre-Proposals for New Conservation Program
• First Duck Stamps Sold 80 Years Ago This Month

Chokecherry/Sierra Madre Wind Farm Permitting Moves Forward

The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, the state panel that must approve any wind projects larger than 30 turbines, unanimously approved the final permit for the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind projects on August 7. The project is slated to be built on over 200,000 acres of BLM and private lands in south-central Wyoming. The development is anticipated to include up to 1,000 turbines and could produce up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity if fully developed. On August 11, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a site-specific environmental assessment (EA) for the infrastructure components of the project with a draft finding of no significant impact. The agency is seeking comments on the EA during public meetings (4:30-7:00 pm on August 25 in Saratoga, Wyo. and August 26 in Rawlins, Wyo.) and written comments are due by September 10. The full EA is available on the BLM's project web site. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also in the process of developing an environmental impact statement for a programmatic eagle take permit for the first phase of the project that would include 500 turbines. In April, the FWS released a report that summarizes comments and input received from the public and other agencies during their scoping process that occurred earlier in the year.

FWS Initiates Formal Status Review of Greater Sage-Grouse

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is seeking data and trends on greater sage-grouse populations as well as information about partner efforts to conserve the bird. The agency announced on August 11 that it was opening its formal status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Specifically the agency is requesting information on greater sage-grouse populations, status and trends, greater sage-grouse habitat status and trends, as well as information on hunting harvest, disease and predation. In addition, submitted information about plans and projects that are designed to improve sage-grouse habitat or increase populations will be entered into a Conservation Efforts Database. The information must be submitted by December 31, 2014 so the FWS can fully consider the cumulative effect of the conservation work across the bird's 165 million acre range. The agency has until September 2015 to determine whether to propose the species for listing under the ESA. The agency has established a greater sage-grouse website with details about the species and conservation efforts.

USDA Receives Nearly 600 Pre-Proposals for New Conservation Program

The Natural Resources Conservation Service announced on August 4 that it had received nearly 600 pre-proposals for its new Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The pre-proposals were submitted by partnerships made up of over 5,000 organizations and totaled over $2.8 billion with pledges of $3 billion in matching funds. However, the program that was established in the 2014 Farm Bill has $394 million available for fiscal years 2014/2015. About 230 applicants were invited to submit full proposals to the agency by October 2.

"This program is an entirely new approach to conservation," Secretary Vilsack said. "By establishing new public-private partnerships, we can have an impact that's well beyond what the Federal government could accomplish on its own. And we put our partners in the driver's seat, allowing them to find creative solutions to the conservation issues in their local areas. The overwhelming response to this new effort illustrates an eagerness across country to partner and invest in innovative conservation projects."

First Duck Stamps Sold 80 Years Ago This Month

This month marks the 80th Anniversary of the sale of the very first Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp or Duck Stamp. After the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act was signed into law on March 16, 1934, things had to move quickly for a stamp to be in place for the upcoming hunting season. Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, who had worked on a presidential commission to outline opportunities to secure "submarginal" lands for broad wildlife conservation and was now the chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, quickly sketched six concepts for the stamp design. However, stamp designers printed the first stamps from one of those sketches, the now famous image of a pair of landing mallards. On August 22, 1934, the first duck stamp was sold for $1; that year 635,000 stamps were sold. The influx of funding for wetlands conservation could not have come soon enough as some estimates placed 1934's waterfowl populations at an all-time low of just 27 million birds. Within 5 years, sales surpassed the $1 million level (equivalent to about $17 million in today's dollars) and the benefits have grown ever since. Since the first stamp was sold 80 years ago this month, more than $900 million has been raised and used to purchase or lease over 6 million acres of wetland habitat in the United States.