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Environment Canada expects the EPO will affect, perhaps, two potential leases, at a cost of about $10-million in forgone revenue over the next decade.

“Of course there’s uncertainty with respect to the survival and recovery of this species. There are no guarantees in life, but certainly effective implementation of the order and complimentary stewardship measures would stop the decline,” said Bob McLean, the executive director for the Canadian Wildlife Service with Environment Canada.

Mr. Heydlauff, now in his 60s, has no desire to see the sage grouse go. He’s, in fact, been rewarded for his good stewardship. He’s installed grouse-friendly fences and goes to lengths to keep tourist grouse-gawkers at bay, but to little effect.

The rancher has been to several meetings with Environment Canada to discuss the EPO.

They treat the locals like we’re a bunch of idiots

“I’m not impressed,” he said. “They come to these meetings and they’re from who knows where. They treat the locals like we’re a bunch of idiots.”

Almost all of his family’s century-old grazing lease land will fall under the aegis of the EPO, he said.

“The implications are there are no new fences. If you put in a new fence, you’ve got to get special permission to do it and they want smooth wire on the top and no more than four wires max. And you have to have reflectors, evenly spaced, on the top two wires,” he said. “They haven’t come after the existing fences, yet, but I bet it’s coming.”

Although scientists have said some cattle grazing in sage grouse territory is beneficial to the dwindling species, Mr. Heydlauff said he’s worried about the precedent set by the EPO. Orders to cut back grazing or reduce pasture land have real impacts for people on the ground, he said — people not generally amenable to new rules dictated by far-away bureaucrats.

“Lots of times, the government will do things … as if they’re putting a finger on a map. Do this here. They forget that somebody has an agricultural operation there, and what they do will affect them,” Mr. Wills said. “I’m concerned with basic property rights of many of these submissions. When these edicts come down from government, how many people does that affect on the ground?”

National Post

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