Jewell Urges New Wildfire-Fighting Approach That Protects Sage Grouse

"BOISE, Idaho — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is calling for a new wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of sagebrush country in the intermountain West that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.

She issued an order Tuesday seeking a "science-based" approach that safeguards the greater sage grouse while contending with fires that have been especially destructive in the Great Basin region of Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and California.

Her order stems at least in part from a November conference in Boise that brought together scientists and land managers to find collaborative ways to protect Great Basin rangelands from the plague of wildfires that have been increasing in intensity."

Keith Ridler reports for the Associated Press January 6, 2015.