Livestock grazing has been indirectly related to sage-grouse (centrocercus
urophasianus) declines in the western United States and southern Canada; however,
there is a lack of scientific research that directly relates the two. Our objective was
to investigate the influence of livestock herbivory on sage-grouse nesting habitat by
determining the spatial...
Two new studies revealed unknown long-distance dispersal and migration movements in sage grouse that offer fresh insights for conservation. Using DNA from feathers dropped at leks, scientists discovered that some grouse (about 1% of populations) travel long distances to explore breeding areas up to 120 miles away—movements that can potentially...
Research evaluating effects of livestock grazing on greater sage-grouse nest survival suggests that a variety of locally-appropriate range management strategies support grouse populations. A new Montana study comparing effects of specialized grazing systems on ranches enrolled in the NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) to ranches not enrolled in SGI grazing...
In recent years the Sage Grouse Initiative, led by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has worked with many partners to accelerate the mechanical removal of invading conifer trees, primarily junipers, to restore sagebrush habitats in and around sage grouse strongholds across the West. Replicated studies from public and private...
In the northeast part of sage grouse range, 70% of the best habitat is privately owned – and the single greatest threat in this region is cultivation of native sagebrush grazing lands. Scientists assessed lands in eastern Montana, the western Dakotas, and northeast Wyoming to evaluate potential impacts to sage...
In Oregon, sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were common in the
eastern portion of the state. Since 1940 populations declined because of
decreased productivity. The western subspecies (C. u. phaios) was listed as a
candidate for threatened and endangered status in 1985 because of declines in
Oregon and Washington and extirpation...
Sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in Oregon
declined during the past 30 years as a result of impaired productivity.
The western subspecies (C. u. phaios) was listed as a candidate for
threatened and endangered status by the Department of the Interior in
1985 because of declines in Oregon and Washington...
Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) habitat research has historically focused on fine-scale (0.007 - 0.032 ha) vegetation structure and composition immediately surrounding sites selected by birds. However, little work has evaluated vegetation attributes important for Greater Sage-grouse at a landscape-scale or identified landscape attributes that influence habitat use patterns. Habitat use...
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations declined range wide during the past 50 years. Grouse populations were 2-3 times larger than the current population as recently as the early 1970's. In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, declines were attributed habitat degradation that caused reduced productivity. Because chick survival remains the...
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a sagebrush obligate species, has contracted in extent by nearly half its original distribution. This is primarily due to habitat loss and degradation over the past 150 years. During winter, sage-grouse depend completely on sagebrush habitat for food and cover, yet sage-grouse winter ecology has been...
Decline of western sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus phaios)
in Oregon may be related to the reduced availability of foods in upland
sagebrush (Artemisia)-grasslands used for brood-rearing. The goal of
this study was to determine primary foods of chicks and the short-term
response of brood-rearing habitat to prescribed burning at Hart...
All streams in Oregon that are inhabited by salmon and trout have a statemandated
water temperature standard. However, temperatures of many streams,
especially during summer months, exceed the seven-day average maximum
temperature parameter (200 C for redband trout inhabited streams) accepted by the
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. To date,...
Understanding the effects of habitat disturbance on a species' habitat selection patterns, and demographic rates, is essential to projecting the trajectories of populations affected by disturbance, as well as for determining the appropriate conservation actions needed to maintain those populations. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern...
Sage grouse are a species of concern because their abundance, distribution, and productivity have declined during the past century. Sage grouse productivity has been linked to specific habitat components including particular forbs and native bunchgrasses. Studies on the effects of fire were conducted in Southeastern Oregon in mountain big sagebrush...
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have experienced declines throughout their range over the last 50 years. Long-term declines in sage-grouse abundance in Nevada and Oregon have been attributed to reduced productivity. From 1995-1997, sage-grouse production on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), Nevada was greater compared to Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge...