When, exactly, did the sage grouse come on the radar as being threatened?
Next question. How long have these lands been cohabited by sage grouse and cattle?
The view of BHA on grazing and the Sage Grouse.
Grazing Managed to Support Sage Grouse
We request strong Plan direction to not only assess grazing plans, but provide a fully funded and scientifically defensible monitoring strategy and monitoring funding mechanism to assure habitat goals are being met.
BHA understands that livestock grazing is an established land-use practice and will continue to occur. However, state regulated grazing plans and performance must assure perpetuation, cover density, and recruitment of sage plants and their plant community. All grazing must assure adequate residual cover, and forbs and other non-grass components to favor sage grouse survival and recruitment. Special requirements are needed in riparian areas to protect habitat components because Sage Grouse use these areas disproportionately for brood rearing.
A series of annual population surveys published in 2007 seemed to show sage grouse declining to historic lows. However, subsequent annual surveys performed under the auspices of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies indicated that the 2007 numbers were most likely the low point in a normal population cycle. Based on these data and new habitat restoration projects, the US Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew its listing proposal in 2015.
Nonetheless, sage grouse habitat has declined by about half since the first habitat surveys were done. The primary threats to sage grouse are fire, invasive species and energy development. Grazing is way down the list, in my opinion. Until we can get a handle on cheatgrass invasion in sage brush grasslands, things are not going to get a lot better.
There are initiatives underway to enlist ranchers and federal land permittees restore to degraded habitat to benefit both sage grouse and livestock (
https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com). This program has had the most positive impact of any that I am aware of.
