In fact, the long-term trend remains negative, indicating that sage grouse have not yet turned the corner and stabilized or started an increase. Biologists estimate that sage grouse once could be found in 13 western states and three Canadian provinces. A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey and Colorado State University used the annual counts of male sage-grouse at communal breeding sites, known as leks, as a measure of population size over time. “Clearly the status quo here is devastating these iconic birds,” said Ryan Shannon, staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re watching Gunnison sage-grouse go extinct in real time,” said Taylor Jones, endangered species advocate with Wildearth Guardians. The WWP numbers are derived from state data released earlier this year. WildEarth Guardians (www.wildearthguardians.org) is a conservation non-profit whose mission is to protect and restore the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West. Sage grouse are a long-lived species with low reproductive yields, which makes population recovery slow. If the sage-grouse population is falling due to environmental degradation, the chief culprits would be oil and gas development and the increasing prevalence of wildfires, he said. Population of North American sage-grouse sharply declining – study Apr 24, 2015 News. BILLINGS, Mont. In 2016, there were 0.9 chicks per hen, down from 1.7-1.8 documented in 2014 and 2015. Due to Population Decline and Energy Development, Sage-Grouse Listing Called for by American Bird Conservancy. Sage-grouse cannot survive in areas where sagebrush no longer exists, and a sagebrush community may take years to recov… Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Some states have been battling with emergency closures of hunting seasons out of concern for the grouse population. For Immediate Release Contact:, 202-234-7181 ext.210. Data indicates that from 2010 to 2015 the range-wide greater sage-grouse population has continued its long-term decline. “This means stopping livestock use of Gunnison sage-grouse habitat and denying requests for new housing developments. “Another bad year for the main Gunnison basin population could spell disaster, so state officials need to leap into action to help these amazing birds,” Ryan Shannon, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a press release from the WWP. A male sage grouse flies low over the ground in April at a lek in southern Natrona County. In fact, the long-term trend remains negative, indicating that sage grouse have not yet turned the corner and stabilized or started an increase. The WWP’s Clait Braun, who formerly led the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s sage-grouse research program, said loss of habitat is contributing significantly to the decline of the birds. Although the ruffed grouse is not currently listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, it may be trending that way. “If we’re to have any hope of saving this species, land managers on both the federal and state level have to stop relying on outdated, ineffective management plans. Hunting was good even though we were not hunting in a sage grouse core area which of course caused us to wonder if grouse hunting would be any better in a core area so as in the old saying “Go West…” we packed up and headed further west. Sage-grouse populations throughout North America have declined by 45% to 80% since the 1950s (Braun 1998). Recent media reports and information from most state wildlife agencies have indicated that sage-grouse populations continued to decline between 2015 … He started at the Post in 1986, at the old building on 15th and California streets. But most sage grouse totals remain well below 2016 levels. Sage-grouse populations take years to respond to disturbances like oil and gas development, according to Braun's statement, so the decline likely began even before the Trump administration loosened the BLM management plans’ restrictions on development in sage-grouse habitat. Sage grouse numbers are likely to decline next year, part of a downswing in the bird’s population that happens about every decade, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Although the ruffed grouse is not currently listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, it may be trending that way. Scientists have been predicting the extinction of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) since 1916, and sage-grouse populations have declined relentlessly during the last century despite … Greater sage-grouse were once found across 13 western U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces. “Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is concerned about this year’s low count of Gunnison sage grouse and will continue to evaluate the data and our on-the-ground efforts to manage the species and to enhance and protect habitat through treatments and conservation easements,” said Rebecca Ferrell, a CPW spokeswoman, in a written statement Wednesday. But most sage grouse totals remain well below 2016 levels. In fact, the fi rst scientifi c paper predicting the extinction of the species was published a century ago (Hornaday 1916, Conover and Roberts 2017). The North American Breeding Bird Survey indicates a long-term population decline since 1966. It’s not yet clear whether the three-year decline is part of a cyclical pattern or indicative of a more serious issue, but the Idaho Statesmanreports the trend could force state and federal wildlife and land … Data collected shows that in 2017, there were 1.2 chicks per hen, compared to 0.9 chicks per hen in 2016. The rest of the year these birds melt … Greater sage-grouse were once found across 13 western U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces. “We appreciate hunters who provided wings. July 7, 2020, Dr. Clait E. Braun, Grouse Inc., (520) 529-4614, sgwtp66@gmail.comErik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project, (307) 399-7910, emolvar@westernwatersheds.orgRyan Shannon, Center for Biological Diversity, (971) 717-6407, rshannon@biologicaldiversity.orgTaylor Jones, WildEarth Guardians, (720) 443-2615, tjones@wildearthguardians.org, Gunnison Sage-Grouse in Dire Straits as Population Numbers Continue to Decline. A new study from the USGS and Colorado State University used the annual counts of male sage-grouse at communal breeding sites, known as leks, as a measure of population … Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Projecting 100 years into the future, most sub-populations of the sage-grouse would reach numbers so low they would risk dying off from genetic defects, Garton said. Greater sage-grouse populations in Wyoming declined 2.5 percent annually between 1984 and 2008, with oil and gas development being associated with the decline. The sage grouse is found in significant numbers within only half of the states comprising its original territories. Gunnison sage grouse population numbers decline to alarming low, nonprofit says, Majority of voters in the West worry about the future of nature, poll finds, Gray wolf spotted in North Park, captured and collared for tracking to study “travel patterns”, Colorado waters now free of invasive mussels statewide, East Troublesome fire may signal new era of big blow-ups, Fighting climate change in America means changes to America, In rural Colorado, a growing push to preserve dark skies as artificial light spills out of cities, “We need to act”: Colorado forests primed for megafires without large-scale action, federal managers warn, Federal oil, gas leases net $601K in revenue — and objections to drilling in wildlife habitat. (AP) — Montana’s greater sage grouse population has fallen more than 40% over the past three years, mirroring recent declines across the U.S. West for the wide-ranging bird species that federal officials rejected for protections in 2015. 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