2009-06-02 Environment Week kicks off with sage-grouse court battle

Government has no excuse for ignoring habitat of well-studied Prairie bird, groups say

To stop the disappearance of one of the Prairie’s most iconic species, six conservation groups are in federal court today arguing a lawsuit against the federal Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice, for refusing to identify critical habitat for the endangered greater sage-grouse.

The lawsuit was filed by Ecojustice in early 2008 on behalf of the Alberta Wilderness Association, Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Grasslands Naturalists, Nature Saskatchewan and Wilderness Committee. It alleges the federal Minister of Environment failed to comply with Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) which requires the sage-grouse’s critical habitat to be identified in its recovery strategy, so it can be protected.