The future of Nevada is tied to the future of the sage grouse because the bird lives in a lot of the same areas that are expected to be used for wind, solar and geothermal energy.

And although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided not to add the bird to the endangered species list Friday, it acknowledges that federal protection is warranted. The agency basically said it was precluded from adding the bird to the list because species that are more threatened are being given priority.

"We have a window of several years before we reach a point in time when a listing (for the greater sage grouse) would be imminent," Tom Strickland, assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said Friday.

The "warranted but precluded" designation for the sage grouse is, in... [continue via Web link]