Long‐term changes in sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus populations in western North America

Abstract

Available data indicate that sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus have declined throughout their range. This species presently occurs in 11 U.S. States and in two Canadian provinces. In nine states having long-term data, breeding populations have declined by 17-47% (x = 33%) from the long term average. Six states have long-term information on sage grouse produc tion. In five of these states, production has declined by 10-51% (x = 25%) from the long-term average. Habitat deterioration, loss, and fragmentation have reduced the quantity and quality of nesting and early brood-rearing habitat causing population declines. Factors appearing to be largely respon sible for the changes in habitats and, ultimately, sage grouse populations over wide areas of western North America are discussed, and hypotheses that could be tested to provide better insight into sage grouse population declines are suggested. Once these changes are better understood, conser vation strategies that address protection and rehabilitation of sagebrush Artemisia spp. rangelands should be developed and implemented in each state and province to halt the decline of sage grouse and initiate recovery.

The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach

“…All previously published analyses of sage-grouse populations have documented decreases throughout the species' range (Connelly and Braun 1997, WAFWA 2008, Garton et al 2011. Our results support these findings and provide compelling evidence that most populations have continued to decline over the last 6 years reaching a low in 2013 below 50,000 males attending leks range-wide, an 8 fold decline from the late 1960s.…”

“…Connelly and Braun (1997) concluded that by 1994 breeding populations had declined by 17-47% from long-term averages. Connelly et al (2004) reported that sagegrouse populations declined at an overall rate 2.0% per year from .…”

Blood Parasites in Sage-Grouse From Nevada and Oregon

“…Despite management and research efforts that date to the 1930s (Girard, 1937), breeding populations of sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a once abundant sagebrush-steppe obligate, have declined by at least 17-47% throughout much of their range (Connelly and Braun, 1997). Current distribution extends south from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta (Canada), western North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, eastern Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and northeastern California (USA) (Johnsgard, 1983;Drut, 1994).…”

A Simulation Framework for Assessing Physical and Wildlife Impacts of Oil and Gas Development Scenarios in Southwestern Wyoming

“…landscapes has emerged as a topical conservation issue [1]. Rangewide loss, fragmentation, and degradation of sagebrush communities in the early part of the last century have been attributed to agricultural conversion [2,3], urbanization [4], excessive herbivory [5], altered fire regimes [6], and invasion of exotic plants [3]. As a result, the long-term sustainability of many wildlife populations dependent on sagebrush has been compromised [4,7].…”