NEWS RELEASE
Contact Information
For Immediate Release
June 22, 2006
New Report Presents Blueprint for Sage Grouse Recovery
DENVER – A blueprint for sage-grouse recovery¹ addressing land management changes and presenting strategies to conserve and recover sage-grouse populations across the West was publicly released today. The ‘Blueprint’ contains specific recommendations that, if implemented by land management agencies, are designed to increase sage-grouse abundance by 33% by 2015 and increase sage-grouse distribution by 20% by 2030. Key recommendations include minimizing habitat fragmentation, avoiding drilling and road construction in wintering habitats and within 3.3 miles of lek sites to protect breeding and nesting habitat, avoiding large-scale (>50 acres) sagebrush burning or removal, and optimizing livestock grazing methods to maintain and enhance sage-grouse habitats.
Dr. Clait E. Braun, former Avian Research Program Manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, prepared the report. Dr. Braun has continuously studied sage-grouse since 1973, is the co-discoverer of the Gunnison sage-grouse, and is author or co-author of 55 scientific studies and technical papers on sage grouse, including Guidelines to Manage Sage-grouse Populations and their Habitats, published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin in 2000. Braun is now Director of Grouse Inc.
“There is an immediate need to halt declines of sage-grouse due to oil and gas development, and the need for agencies to change course to reverse the decline of the bird,” said Dr. Braun. “Other common practices that need to be changed include livestock grazing management, use of non-native grasses such as crested wheatgrass to revegetate burned areas, use of chemicals to manage sagebrush, and power line placement.”
Specific recommendations are presented on Management of Development (especially gas and oil), Fire, Grazing, Habitat Fragmentation, Invasive Species (including cheatgrass), Rangeland Seedings, Roads, Structures, Vegetation, and Water.
“Implementation of this blueprint will provide the best chance for halting sage-grouse declines and promoting recovery for this increasingly rare species,” Braun added. “These recovery goals were carefully chosen because they are measurable and achievable.”
The ‘Blueprint’ also includes sections on Where Management Strategies Should be Focused and How Success Should be Measured, and provides a comprehensive review of supporting literature. The full report can be downloaded at
http://www.nativeecosystems.org/sagegrouse/greater/Braunblueprint2006.pdf.
¹Braun, C. E. 2006. A blueprint for sage-grouse conservation and recovery. Distributed report. Grouse Inc., Tucson, Arizona, USA.
