How many acres of sage grouse habitat is there?
The project doubled the number acres of suitable habitat for sage-grouse to 484 acres, and it opened up habitat for aspen trees to expand. The raven is considered one of the biggest threats to sage-grouse survival. Ravens like to hide in juniper trees and eat sage-grouse eggs after a pair has set up a nest.
What is the purpose of the Sage Grouse?
Sage-grouse, below, a candi-date species for protection under the Endangered Species Act, are the catalyst for stopping the spread of juniper trees. “Something needs to be done,” says Owyhee County Commissioner Jerry Hoagland, a member of the Owyhee County Sage-Grouse Working Group and an Owyhee County commissioner.
What is the nature conservation?
Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and NRCS, is documenting plant re-growth with remote photography equipment and on-site field visits on private land treatment areas in the Owyhees.
Who is Steve Stuebner?
“We want to bring this range back to its best ecological condition,” he says. Steve Stuebner is the writer and producer of Life on the Range , a public education project sponsored by the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission.
Do ravens eat sage grouse?
Ravens like to hide in juniper trees and eat sage-grouse eggs after a pair has set up a nest. Juniper removal reduces that threat because the ravens no longer have a place to hide. “One of our target species to benefit here is aspen,” Talsma says. “Quaking aspen is a native tree.
Is the Sage Grouse endangered?
Sage-grouse are listed as a “candidate” species under the Endangered Species Act, so attention is being focused on improving habitat for the birds to increase their numbers. The Owyhee Mountains are considered a “core” area for sage-grouse, with 250 leks (or mating grounds) and historically robust populations.
Rangeland Fire and Sage-Grouse
Information for firefighters, fire managers, the public, and anyone who may be interested in wildfire's effect on the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem.
About the Bird
Greater sage-grouse have been called an icon of western rangelands, and for good reason. Their mating behavior is fascinating, with males fanning their spiky tail feathers, puffing out their chest and revealing bright yellow, balloon-like air sacs.