Sage Grouse Report available
Contains recommended strategies and priorities for range-wide conservation
by Wyoming Game & Fish
May 23, 2006
Key recommended strategies and priorities for the range-wide conservation of greater sage grouse and sagebrush habitats were released May 1 in a report provided to the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). The report reflects the collaborative work of the Greater Sage Grouse Range-Wide Issues Forum, sponsored by WAFWA and convened by the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution of Tucson, Arizona.
The forum was convened in November 2005 to facilitate the collaborative development of approaches to address issues, needs, opportunities and partnerships related to the conservation of greater sage grouse and sagebrush habitats at the range-wide scale.
More than 50 local working groups, including eight in Wyoming, have examined local sage grouse and sagebrush conservation needs and are drafting local conservation plans. The greater sage grouse lives in eleven western states including Wyoming and two Canadian provinces. The forum examined opportunities and needs on a range-wide basis, which may cross local working group or state boundaries.
Forum participants were chosen based on their experience, background and knowledge of greater sage grouse conservation issues, and their ability to work collaboratively. Three local sage grouse working group members from Wyoming participated in the forum: Tom Clayson, Anadarko Petroleum, South-Central local working group; Alison Holloran, Wyoming Audubon, Bates Hole/Shirley Basin local working group; and John Dahlke, Wyoming Wildlife Consultants, Upper Green River local working group.
The Forum Report identifies seven priority goals for the conservation of greater sage grouse, including creation of long-term shared leadership and commitment for strategy implementation, identification and protection of existing high quality sagebrush habitat, and stabilization of sagebrush habitats in decline. Other priority goals relate to database enhancement and information-sharing, research and monitoring, and properly managed livestock grazing.
The Forum Report is available at http://sagegrouse.ecr.gov. Results from the Forum Report will be integrated with other local, state/provincial, tribal and agency conservation strategies into the Greater Sage Grouse Comprehensive Conservation Strategy.
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