| Victory for Sage Grouse | 29 July 09 |
 Environmentalists have won a legal battle lead by Ecojustice in asking the courts to reject Environment Canada's recovery strategy for the endangered greater sage grouse. The recovery strategy proposed last year under the Species at Risk Act failed to identify critical habitat to be protected.A Federal Court ruled although not illegal, it was unreasonable for the government to claim it could not identify breeding grounds and critical habitat. The judge gave both sides a month to come up with a plan to revise the grouse's recovery strategy. "The sage-grouse case will put an end to years of government inaction. There is reason to believe endangered species across Canada will finally receive protection with federal courts forcing the government to obey its own laws," said Alberta Wilderness Association vice-president Cliff Wallis. The sage grouse, found across southern Alberta and Saskatchewan have been listed as endangered since 1998. Agriculture, roads, and oil and gas development has fragmented their habitat range, reducing it from 100,000 to 6,000 square kilometers. View July 15, 2009 Globe and Mail articleView July 13, 2009 CBC article View July 13, 2009 Canadian Press article View July 15, 2009 Vancouver Sun article Sources: Globe and Mail, CBC
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons |
|
 Print version |
Top |
