After several years of review, study and debate, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has announced that the Gunnison sage-grouse will not be placed on the federal threatened or endangered species list, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

A key factor in the Service's decision was the results of a November 2005 population "trend analysis," which indicated that populations of Gunnison sage grouse have been stable for the past 10 years.

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program did not get the boost in funding it needed from the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The House Subcommittee approved $14.938 million for fiscal year 2007, the amount requested by the Administration but $2.6 million less than needed to restore the number of scientists in the program to the 2001 level.

A new set of findings and recommendations to conserve greater sage-grouse in the western United States and Canada has been produced through the collaborative efforts of a diverse 35-member working group, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

What a terrific reference book Milt Friend and colleagues at the National Wildlife Health Center produced. Disease Emergence and Resurgence: The Wildlife-Human Connection (2006) is clear and concise documentation of when, where, how and to what extent a rather extraordinary suite of animal diseases is occurring in or hovering close to the United States.

It is an altogether timely publication, given the growing concern about such wildlife diseases as avian influenza, chronic wasting disease, avian botulism, whirling disease, West Nile fever and brucellosis.

Development impacts on critical fish and wildlife habitat dominate the list of threats identified within state wildlife action plans, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. Conservationists understand that there never will be sufficient funding to protect every acre that is important and that, instead, protection must stem from society's recognition of the value of wild places. Maine's solution to rapid development pressures in southern and central parts of the state integrates New England's strong sense of land stewardship into the traditional form of independent town governments.

Research and observations have shown that the elk herd in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), in Colorado, has steadily grown, is becoming less migratory and more concentrated, and is seriously impacting plant species in the park, such as willow and aspen, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. RMNP officials estimate the elk herd to number between 2,200 and 3,000 animals.