Protection weighed for bird in West's energy areas

By SCOTT SONNER, Associated Press Writer, General Science / Biology

This April 2007 photo provided by the Nevada Department of Wildlife shows a male and female sage grouse in the mountains near Reno Nev. As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gets ready to re-examine whether the greater sage grouse deserves federal protection, Shawn Espinosa and other state wildlife biologists across the West are frantically looking for the bird and the traditional mating grounds known as leks where they have lived for centuries. (AP Photo/Nevada Department of Wildlife, Kim Toulouse)

(AP) -- The fate of basic industries across the Intermountain West - grazing, mining, energy - soon could be at least partially tied to that of a bird about the size of a chicken.

Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

ť Next Article in General Science - Biology: Canadian panel: Climate change is threat to polar bears

would you recommend this story?