Conservation Issues for Sage-Grouse and Sagebrush Ecosystems Active
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are the most visible of >350 plant and wildlife species that depend on sagebrush. Their conservation status was determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010 to be warranted for listing but precluded by higher priorities. Habitat and population fragmentation, coupled with inadequate regulatory mechanisms to control development on public lands, were the primary factors in the listing decision. Approximately 70% of the current sagebrush distribution within the greater sage-grouse range is public land; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is responsible for managing half of the sagebrush within the United States. Less than 1% of the sagebrush is within areas protected from land-cover conversion. The remaining public land is managed for multiple uses that include livestock grazing, energy development, and recreation.
Managers have emphasized sage-grouse as indicators of ecosystem health. Considered an umbrella species, strategies to improve habitat for sage-grouse make an implicit assumption that benefits will extend to other wildlife dependent on sagebrush. Therefore, our research is focused on gaining a better understanding of how sagebrush and sage-grouse populations are temporally and spatially interconnected. These relationships then can be significant factors in developing conservation actions that enhance the long-term viability of sagebrush ecosystems.
Collaborators
John Connelly, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Blackfoot, ID
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Below are publications associated with this project.
Range-wide network of priority areas for greater sage-grouse - a design for conserving connected distributions or isolating individual zoos?
A synopsis of short-term response to alternative restoration treatments in sagebrush-steppe: the SageSTEP project
Modeling ecological minimum requirements for distribution of greater sage-grouse leks: implications for population connectivity across their western range, U.S.A.
Greater sage-grouse as an umbrella species for shrubland passerine birds: a multiscale assessment
Factors associated with extirpation of sage-grouse
A spatial model to prioritize sagebrush landscapes in the intermountain west (U.S.A.) for restoration
Range-wide patterns of greater sage-grouse persistence
Teetering on the edge or too late? Conservation and research issues for avifauna of sagebrush habitats
- Overview
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are the most visible of >350 plant and wildlife species that depend on sagebrush. Their conservation status was determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010 to be warranted for listing but precluded by higher priorities. Habitat and population fragmentation, coupled with inadequate regulatory mechanisms to control development on public lands, were the primary factors in the listing decision. Approximately 70% of the current sagebrush distribution within the greater sage-grouse range is public land; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is responsible for managing half of the sagebrush within the United States. Less than 1% of the sagebrush is within areas protected from land-cover conversion. The remaining public land is managed for multiple uses that include livestock grazing, energy development, and recreation.
Managers have emphasized sage-grouse as indicators of ecosystem health. Considered an umbrella species, strategies to improve habitat for sage-grouse make an implicit assumption that benefits will extend to other wildlife dependent on sagebrush. Therefore, our research is focused on gaining a better understanding of how sagebrush and sage-grouse populations are temporally and spatially interconnected. These relationships then can be significant factors in developing conservation actions that enhance the long-term viability of sagebrush ecosystems.
Collaborators
John Connelly, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Blackfoot, ID
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Range-wide network of priority areas for greater sage-grouse - a design for conserving connected distributions or isolating individual zoos?
The network of areas delineated in 11 Western States for prioritizing management of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) represents a grand experiment in conservation biology and reserve design. We used centrality metrics from social network theory to gain insights into how this priority area network might function. The network was highly centralized. Twenty of 188 priority areas accounAuthorsMichele R. Crist, Steven T. Knick, Steven E. HanserA synopsis of short-term response to alternative restoration treatments in sagebrush-steppe: the SageSTEP project
The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) is an integrated long-term study that evaluates ecological effects of alternative treatments designed to reduce woody fuels and to stimulate the herbaceous understory of sagebrush steppe communities of the Intermountain West. This synopsis summarizes results through 3 yr posttreatment. Woody vegetation reduction by prescribed fire, mechaAuthorsJames McIver, Mark Brunson, Steve Bunting, Jeanne Chambers, Paul Doescher, James Grace, April Hulet, Dale Johnson, Steven T. Knick, Richard Miller, Mike Pellant, Fred Pierson, David Pyke, Benjamin Rau, Kim Rollins, Bruce Roundy, Eugene Schupp, Robin Tausch, Jason WilliamsModeling ecological minimum requirements for distribution of greater sage-grouse leks: implications for population connectivity across their western range, U.S.A.
Greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte) currently occupy approximately half of their historical distribution across western North America. Sage-grouse are a candidate for endangered species listing due to habitat and population fragmentation coupled with inadequate regulation to control development in critical areas. Conservation planning would benefit from accurate maps delineatAuthorsSteven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser, Kristine L. PrestonGreater sage-grouse as an umbrella species for shrubland passerine birds: a multiscale assessment
Working groups and government agen-cies are planning and conducting land actions in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats to benefit Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations. Managers have adopted an umbrella concept, creating habitat characteristics specific to sage-grouse requirements, in the belief that other wildlife species dependent on sagebrush will benefit. We tested the eAuthorsSteven E. Hanser, Steven T. KnickFactors associated with extirpation of sage-grouse
Geographic ranges of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison Sage-Grouse (C. minimus) have contracted across large areas in response to habitat loss and detrimental land uses. However, quantitative analyses of the environmental factors most closely associated with range contraction have been lacking, results of which could be highly relevant to conservation planning. ConsequenAuthorsMichael J. Wisdom, Cara W. Meinke, Steven T. Knick, Michael A. SchroederA spatial model to prioritize sagebrush landscapes in the intermountain west (U.S.A.) for restoration
The ecological integrity of Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Intermountain West (U.S.A.) has been diminished by synergistic relationships among human activities, spread of invasive plants, and altered disturbance regimes. An aggressive effort to restore Sagebrush habitats is necessary if we are to stabilize or improve current habitat trajectories and reverse declining population trendsAuthorsC.W. Meinke, S.T. Knick, D.A. PykeRange-wide patterns of greater sage-grouse persistence
Aim: Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a shrub-steppe obligate species of western North America, currently occupies only half its historical range. Here we examine how broad-scale, long-term trends in landscape condition have affected range contraction. Location: Sagebrush biome of the western USA. Methods: Logistic regression was used to assess persistence and extirpation of greateAuthorsCameron L. Aldridge, Scott E. Nielsen, Hawthorne L. Beyer, Mark S. Boyce, John W. Connelly, Steven T. Knick, Michael A. SchroederTeetering on the edge or too late? Conservation and research issues for avifauna of sagebrush habitats
Degradation, fragmentation, and loss of native sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes have imperiled these habitats and their associated avifauna. Historically, this vast piece of the Western landscape has been undervalued: even though more than 70% of all remaining sagebrush habitat in the United States is publicly owned, <3% of it is protected as federal reserves or national parks. We review theAuthorsSteven T. Knick, David S. Dobkin, John T. Rotenberry, Michael A. Schroeder, W. Matthew Vander Haegen, Charles van Riper