Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

5-MINUTE EXPERT:

Saving the sage grouse

As the West burns from wildfires and people encroach on undeveloped land, the sage grouse’s habitat is shrinking rapidly

sage-grouse illustration

Courtesy of Troy Oxford

Female sage-grouse, left, are half the size of males, right. Male sage-grouse puff the feathers in their chests and push out two yellow air sacs in their throats to try to attract mates. The further the sacs puff open, the louder the popping sound it makes, and the better the bird’s chances of mating.

The sage grouse lives in the plains of Nevada and 10 other states. But as the West burns from wildfires and people encroach on undeveloped land, the sage grouse’s habitat is shrinking rapidly.

So the federal government has given Nevada and other western states an ultimatum: Come up with a plan to protect the sage grouse or the federal government will list the bird as an endangered species, which could put a dent in Nevada’s economy by limiting recreation, ranching and mining in the bird’s habitat. Nevada lawmakers and state volunteers are working overtime to prove they can protect the sage grouse sufficiently on their own, but that’s easier said than done.

“Even in the best scenario, habitat recovery may be a long, arduous and expensive proposition,” says a pamphlet from Nevada Partners in Flight, a group of state and federal agencies, conservationists and research organizations dedicated to protecting the sagebrush where birds live. Gov. Brian Sandoval created an expanded advisory council in 2012 to look into protecting the sage grouse. There also is a complex web of federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, local governments and researchers working on their own plans.



ENDANGERED OR NOT?

Why the sage grouse should be saved

Did you know?

• Sage grouse are about the size of large chickens. Males weigh 4 to 7 pounds, females 2 to 4 pounds.

• Scientists track sage grouse using GPS radio collars. Researchers can ping the birds as often as every hour.

• Sage grouse can fly but only about as high as a small tree. And a downside of flying: Their wide wings create loud flapping noises that attract predators.

• A limited amount of sage grouse hunting is allowed in Nevada. Wildlife officials say the birds that are hunted would die anyway because of loss of habitat and predation.

• Sage grouse face predators by air and land. Ravens, hawks and eagles catch the slow, noisy fliers, while coyotes, bobcats and badgers also prey on the mostly ground-dwelling bird. Even squirrels have been known to take bites out of sage grouse.

• The average life span of the sage grouse is 1 to 1 1/2 years, although some have lived for as long as a decade.

• Sage grouse are picky eaters. Their diet consists mostly of sagebrush, although they also munch on insects and dandelions. Their sensitive stomachs can’t digest hard seeds like other birds.

The sage grouse’s health is a bellwether for many other animals that live in the same habitat. If the sage grouse isn’t doing well, it’s likely that more than 300 other species that rely on sagebrush, such as mule deer, pronghorn antelope and golden eagles, also are struggling to survive.

Why listing it as endangered might be a bad idea

The sage grouse roams such a large chunk of the West that conservation is tricky and varies widely state by state. Critics say listing the bird would hurt Nevada’s economy by limiting recreation, ranching and mining, which netted Nevada $88 million in 2013. Others are concerned the federal government is listing the sage grouse solely to prevent energy development on public lands. Environmental groups such as Pew Trust and Western Values Project rebut that.

Dwindling numbers

A century ago, an estimated 16 million sage grouse roamed the landscape from the Dakotas to southwestern California. Now scientists say the birds number fewer than 200,000 across 11 states.

The species’ decline has increased exponentially over the past few decades because of human development and wildfires.



Nevada sage grouse management areas

In Nevada, the birds roam mostly on the sagebrush plains of Northern Nevada and avoid Clark County and Carson City. They have been found in 15 of Nevada’s 17 counties.

There were about 85,700 sage grouse in Nevada in 2012, but that number dropped to fewer than 77,000 in 2013 because of drought.



TIMELINE

2010

The federal Natural Resources Conservation Service launched a local partnership of ranchers, universities and conservation groups called the Sage Grouse Initiative.

2012

A joint California-Nevada coalition called the Bi-State Local Area Working Group, which formed in 2002, produced a comprehensive plan to protect the bird and its habitat in Nevada and California.

2013

The Nevada Legislature created a four-person Sagebrush Ecosystem Program to focus on saving the bird throughout the West. It reports to the governor’s advisory council.

2014

The governor’s council released a protection plan, but serious sticking points remain between the state and federal governments on whether that’s enough.

2015

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide separately in April whether the sage grouse should be listed as endangered in Nevada and California. It will propose a decision for all western states by September.

Sources: Natural Resources Conservation Service; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Sage Grouse Initiative; Pew Charitable Trusts, Bureau of Land Management; Conservation Assessment of Greater Sage-grouse and Sagebrush Habitats, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

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