The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, an organization constantly battling adversity and conflict, is under fire again. Once again this fire comes from an animal population. In this case it is the population of a small, chicken sized bird known as the sage-grouse.

A report by the Denver Post states that the conflict stems from a meeting that is supposed to take place next week in Fort Collins. The meeting was put together to discuss the bird populations, and determine whether the grouse should be considered endangered. However, critics are attacking the meeting, saying that many who oppose federal limits are not being invited, while those who fall in favor of them are. As a result, many are asking senator Sally Jewell to cancel the workshop and gather more information before an official ruling on grouse populations can be made.

According to reports by the Interior Department, the current meeting panel consists of tribes, government agencies as well as both local conservation and industry organizations. The reason the legitimacy of this panel is so controversial is that the ruling would be set to effect land management in eleven different states. This would impact industries working in those states a great amount, and would hit the energy industry in Colorado particularly hard.

As of right now, grouse population sits somewhere between one hundred and five hundred thousand. This wide number spread suggests a lack of concrete data, and does put the act of decline into question. However, there is still much concern for the current numbers, and further investigations are set to be made. The ruling would put stricter limits on development, which gives many a reason to make sure the ruling is as fair as possible. No official word is planned to be released soon, but Fish and Wildlife will have their final say by September of next year.