Grand Teton park seeks fewer airport grouse

The National Park Service is supporting an initiative to move sage grouse away from the Jackson Hole Airport runway.

The airport is located outside the town in Grand Teton National Park.

A proposal issued this week calls for improving sage grouse habitat farther away from the airport in hopes that the grouse will abandon habitat near the runway.

Park Management Assistant Gary Pollock tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that a grouse lek at the end of the runway and grouse using sagebrush surrounding the airport are a safety concern.

The Federal Aviation Administration counted 32 collisions between sage grouse and aircraft from 1990 to 2013. No sage grouse strikes have been reported the last three years.

Park officials are accepting comments on their proposal until March 8.

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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com