...Conservationists call the area the “golden triangle” because of its importance for the species, which has suffered a sharp decline in the past 15 years as oil and gas extraction expanded rapidly in the grouse’s historic range.
Is the bird endangered at all or was it simply a convenient way for Obama to remove these lands from drilling? Was the bird population sufficient or perhaps in an overpopulation state? If so, a drop in numbers may not matter or may be desirable.
I am assuming that these questions (among others) were not asked by the writer(s) because that would be too much like work.
“Is the bird endangered at all or was it simply a convenient way for Obama to remove these lands from drilling? “
The sage grouse is to the environmentalist the equivalent of a screwdriver to an auto mechanic. It’s just a tool.