The Grouse and Grazing Project: Effects of cattle grazing on demographic traits of greater sage-grouse
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were once widespread within sagebrush -grassland ecosystems of western North America, but populations have declined since the mid-1960s. Though sage-grouse were not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), when examined in 2015, they remain a species of interest and concern. Roughly half of the sage-grouse’s remaining habitat is on federal land, most of it managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Livestock grazing is the most extensive land use within sage-grouse habitat, and the effects of livestock grazing on sage-grouse are often debated. The extensive decade-long research project summarized in this report was initiated to provide rigorous experimental research to inform the debate regarding the relationship between livestock grazing and sage-grouse. In 2012, the Idaho Grouse & Grazing Project was started with several partners, including the University of Idaho, BLM, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), and other partners, to evaluate the effects of cattle grazing on sage-grouse vital rates. Many additional supporters have provided resources to this research effort, including the Public Lands Council, Idaho Cattle Association, Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USFS, and numerous grazing associations and ranchers in Idaho. This 10-year research project was a scientifically rigorous and replicated experiment, occurring across five study sites in Idaho. Abstract source: USFWS, accessed September 29, 2025, on https://www.fws.gov/media/grouse-and-grazing-project-effects-cattle-grazing-demographic-traits-greater-sage-grouse
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were once widespread within sagebrush -grassland ecosystems of western North America, but populations have declined since the mid-1960s. Though sage-grouse were not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), when examined in 2015, they remain a species of interest and concern. Roughly half of the sage-grouse’s remaining habitat is on federal land, most of it managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Livestock grazing is the most extensive land use within sage-grouse habitat, and the effects of livestock grazing on sage-grouse are often debated. The extensive decade-long research project summarized in this report was initiated to provide rigorous experimental research to inform the debate regarding the relationship between livestock grazing and sage-grouse. In 2012, the Idaho Grouse & Grazing Project was started with several partners, including the University of Idaho, BLM, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), and other partners, to evaluate the effects of cattle grazing on sage-grouse vital rates. Many additional supporters have provided resources to this research effort, including the Public Lands Council, Idaho Cattle Association, Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USFS, and numerous grazing associations and ranchers in Idaho. This 10-year research project was a scientifically rigorous and replicated experiment, occurring across five study sites in Idaho. Abstract source: USFWS, accessed September 29, 2025, on https://www.fws.gov/media/grouse-and-grazing-project-effects-cattle-grazing-demographic-traits-greater-sage-grouse