Colorado offers 'groundbreaking' program to protect greater sage-grouse

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday asked two federal agencies to approve a “groundbreaking” program to protect land used by the sage grouse in Colorado. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) faces a Sept. 30 deadline to decide whether or not the greater sage-grouse requires protection under the Endangered Species Act, a move many officials across the West have tried to avoid by ramping up state-led programs to protect the bird and its habitat. “No one wants to see this bird on the Endangered…