USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Declines in greater sage-grouse populations at leks have been observed in relation to transportation features, with leks becoming extirpated within 7.5 kilometers of interstate highways (for example, I–80 in Wyoming). Habitat studies have also shown sage-grouse avoidance of seasonal habitat (functional habitat loss) near roads or in areas with high road densities and associated development. USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Researchers are investigating sage-grouse population responses to annual average daily traffic monitored from 1970 to 2017 (about 20,000 monitoring locations). These approaches will allow identification of potential traffic volume thresholds that affect sage-grouse across hierarchies ranging from individual leks through groups of leks nested within population clusters, and identify potential scaled effects of roads on sage-grouse populations.
- Overview
USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Declines in greater sage-grouse populations at leks have been observed in relation to transportation features, with leks becoming extirpated within 7.5 kilometers of interstate highways (for example, I–80 in Wyoming). Habitat studies have also shown sage-grouse avoidance of seasonal habitat (functional habitat loss) near roads or in areas with high road densities and associated development. USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Researchers are investigating sage-grouse population responses to annual average daily traffic monitored from 1970 to 2017 (about 20,000 monitoring locations). These approaches will allow identification of potential traffic volume thresholds that affect sage-grouse across hierarchies ranging from individual leks through groups of leks nested within population clusters, and identify potential scaled effects of roads on sage-grouse populations.
- Partners