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The long-term decline of sage grouse populations throughout
North America has increased the potential for a petition to list sage grouse as
threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Such a listing would have the potential to affect most public land users. Nevada Governor Kenny C. Guinn recognized that a listing of sage grouse
as an endangered species would have a significant impact on Nevada.
Therefore, in August, 2000 he assembled diverse interested parties to
develop a statewide sage grouse conservation strategy. This statewide strategy calls for the development of local conservation
plans utilizing current sage grouse science, emphasizing local involvement and
decision-making.
In 2000 the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies finalized an update of the Guidelines for Management of Sage Grouse
Populations and Habitats first issued in 1977. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service, and US Fish and
Wildlife Service signed a memorandum of agreement to consider these guidelines
in their respective planning efforts. In
Nevada, the BLM has recognized that generally lower moisture regimes prevail
throughout the majority of Nevada’s sagebrush ecosystem. Therefore, BLM developed a set of sage grouse management guidelines
adapted to Nevada to provide interim guidance to BLM field managers without
restricting options currently being explored for local sage grouse conservation
planning.
A local conservation plan is being developed for Elko
County. This draft plan currently
proposes a conservation strategy that includes an evaluation of current risk
factors and prioritization of needed management changes at the watershed level.
Implementation of land treatments and management changes would be
identified through watershed analysis and adaptive management techniques.
The BLM completed an evaluation of resource conditions for
the Hubbard Vineyard Allotment in northeastern Elko County, NV. The Hubbard Vineyard allotment provides critical seasonal habitat for
sage grouse and historic seasonal habitat for Columbia sharptailed grouse.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), through a study agreement with
Idaho State University (ISU), began conducting a sharptailed grouse
reestablishment study in 1999. This study uses conventional VHF telemetry to
track sharptailed grouse movements following their reintroduction into the
Hubbard Vineyard Allotment study area.
In order to ensure significant progress toward attainment
of resource objectives within the Hubbard Vineyard Allotment, the BLM has
implemented an adaptive management approach, utilizing the principles of
holistic management to involve the interested public in the decision making
process. Critical sage grouse and
sharptailed grouse nesting habitat within the Hubbard Vineyard allotment occurs
within three separate pastures. A
grazing system has been designed that would allow for grazing in each of the
pastures during the critical nesting season one year out of three. Each pasture would be rested two years out of three. The grazing system has been designed to improve degraded riparian habitat
conditions within the three pastures, ultimately improving summer and late
brood-rearing habitat for sage grouse. The
sage grouse management guidelines of Western Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies describe the critical need for residual nesting cover to ensure nesting
success. Therefore, concern has
been raised regarding the potential effects the proposed grazing system might
have on nesting sage grouse and sharptailed grouse.
Given the plan for adaptive management of sage grouse and specifically the concern for management of critical nesting habitat, the Raptor Research Center partnered in a study with NDOW, ISU, BLM and USGS. Funded by the latter two organizations, the study addresses the following objectives:
1. Locate critical nesting areas within the Hubbard Vineyard Allotment.
2. Describe sage grouse nesting habitat use in relation to grazed and ungrazed pastures.
3. Identify selected habitat conditions within occupied nesting areas in relation to sage grouse management guidelines, life history, and habitat requirements.
4. Define seasonal sage grouse movements and critical habitat areas to assist in the holistic management process and adaptive grazing management within the Hubbard Vineyard Allotment.
5. Evaluate satellite telemetry technology against conventional radio telemetry and evaluate the effectiveness of this technology in tracking sage grouse annual movements.
6. Apply this information to habitat evaluations and
adaptive management strategies elsewhere in Elko County.
Late in March 2003, we captured eight adult female sage grouse in the Hubbard Vineyard Allotment at night, using spotlights and hand nets. Eight were outfitted with ~20 gram collar-mounted Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) that are received by the Argos Satellite System. Five of those eight were also instrumented with ~2 gram VHF transmitters; three were glued to the PTT and two were tail-mounted. Additional female grouse were marked with VHF transmitters only, and ISU researchers are tracking all VHF units. Satellite location estimates will be gathered for ~one year, revealing habitat and locales used during nesting and brood rearing, along with timing and extent of seasonal movements. Independent VHF locations of birds carrying both types of transmitters will be compared with satellite location estimates to assess accuracy of the latter.
PTT batteries did not achieve projected longevity. In addition, Argos location estimates proved suitable for representing movements at landscape scale but not for representing use of adjacent allotments at a fine scale. Acquisition of databases compiled by the BLM (WY,OR) in contemporary projects allowed us to evaluate the relative merits of PTTs fielded during the three studies and arrive at recommendations for future field efforts.
Questions and comments regarding the Raptor Research Center: mark_fuller@usgs.gov
Questions and comments regarding this website:
kbledsoe@boisestate.edu
This page was last reviewed on 17 December 2007.