BLM to Field Offices: Pretend to Care

The AP has filed this story, "BLM to field offices: Mark fences for sage grouse." Basically, the agency is going to mark new fences and guy wires to protect sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse and lesser prairie chickens, because the fences are currently death traps for the ground-dwelling birds.

Studies have shown that barbed-wire fences can be deadly when these bird species fly into the fences without seeing them, although the number of birds killed depends on a variety of factors. Mortality tends to be a problem in places where large numbers of birds congregate frequently near fences.

Sounds pretty good right?

Right. Except what about the fences that already exist? Going flag those too, right? Not so fast. The BLM is going to evaluate existing fences and think about whether or not to flag those.

God help us. When the BLM sets out to evaluate something, some uncomprehendingly long time later the answer will be that cows are going to save the fucking planet.

No mention of FENCE REMOVAL. Or STOPPING NEW CONSTRUCTION in sage-grouse habitat. Much better to litter the landscape with the white vinyl strips that will last, say, a year? Uh huh.

And anyway, the BLM is just doing this half-assed thing to try to avoid an ESA listing by pretending the species is already protected on public lands. Duh.