Oregon Public Broadcasting

The recent death of the director of the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is having a real-world effect on the status of a desert bird that lives in the Northwest.

The agency is debating whether to list the sage grouse as an endangered or threatened species. It was due to announce its decision this Friday. But spokeswoman Diane Katzenberger says Sam Hamilton's death last Saturday has put that on hold.

Diane Katzenberger: “Many of the Fish and Wildlife Service officials who would be otherwise working on the status review finding, getting it out the door to the Federal Register by this Friday, will be attending funeral services for Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton.” Hamilton died after suffering chest pains while skiing in Colorado.

Katzenberger says the agency has asked a federal judge in Boise for permission to delay its sage grouse decision on March 5.

The sage grouse is about the size of a chicken. It lives in 11 Western states. Federal wildlife officials say its habitat is declining.