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Article: Small sage grouse looms large over Western natgas development.
- Article from:
- Natural Gas Week
- Article date:
- August 13, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Energy Intelligence Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On their way to the Pacific, Lewis and Clark first described the sage grouse in 1804, and it's been a roller coaster ride since for the small bird, nearly hunted to extinction in the 1800s. Oddly, it's been something of an economic barometer, booming in the 1920s, 60s and 70s, collapsing in the 1930s, '80s and around the turn of the century.
But beyond these peaks and troughs, lies a core fact. The sage grouse relies on a single, fragile habitat, which is why the well being of the fowl has become a headliner in the fight over western development between environmentalists and the oil and gas industry.
For years, work has been done with moderate success to ...