Efforts to save Gunnison sage-grouse continue
Precious populations in need of protection
By Sophie Stuber, Planet Contributor
In the days of the Wild West, the Gunnison sage-grouse roamed free. The birds were so abundant that they were nicknamed “prairie chickens.” Today, some of the environmentalists fighting to protect their dwindling populations have never set eyes on the now-elusive grouse.
Historically, the bird’s habitat spanned across southwest Colorado, northern New Mexico, eastern Utah and northeastern Arizona. Today, their habitat is restricted to the core Gunnison Basin population — located in west-central Colorado — and seven disconnected satellite populations.
“All these populations are really important,” Mason Osgood, executive director of Sheep Mountain Alliance, told the Daily Planet. “These protections sometimes slip through the cracks in rural areas.”
In the Telluride area, the satellite populations of Gunnison sage-grouse are the focus of local environmental groups. Locally, the birds are found in the West End, Norwood, Dry Creek Basin and Lone Cone. These satellite populations are essential for preserving the species.
Despite their importance to the ecosystem, many locals are unaware of the gage-grouse’s plight. And because they are threatened, there are not many bird sightings around the Telluride area.
“It's certainly an elusive bird but that doesn’t mean it is not worth protecting,” Osgood said.
The Gunnison sage-grouse was classified as a threatened species in 2014. Their habitat faces threats from energy development and mining, invasive species, livestock grazing land, climate change, and fires.
Although the core Gunnison Basin population remains relatively stable, the satellite populations have declined sharply. Currently, some are so small and isolated that they risk disappearing.
To protect the birds, a group of environmental actors, including local organizations Sheep Mountain Alliance and San Juan Citizens Alliance, proposed expansive measures in August 2022. The goal is to have at least 200,000 acres of degraded occupied and unoccupied habitat available within the next five to 10 years.
In conjunction, the group proposes a 10 percent net reduction in infrastructure, including roads, power lines and fences in the habitat zone. Restoring both wet meadow and sagebrush helps the birds.
“We’re really trying to focus on connecting lands that are affected by heavy truck traffic, oil and gas leasing,” Osgood said.
Proposed protections also include seasonal closures for hunting and recreation, and wider buffer zones for sage-grouse habitat. Gunnison sage-grouse need buffer zones around their habitat, as they tend to avoid suitable winter habitats within 1.2 miles of infrastructure, according to research studies, which also indicate that the chicks are less likely to survive when reared near gas field infrastructure.
Along with regional environmental groups, San Miguel County has taken an active role protecting the local sage-grouse population and coordinating with agencies across the state, including the BLM.
“Ecologically speaking, the health of the sage-grouse population is an indicator of the health of the high desert ecosystem, and we can't afford to lose any of those ecosystems,” county commissioner Hilary Cooper told the Planet.
At the county level, San Miguel County restarted the San Miguel Basin working group and appointed two coordinators to develop regional projects to protect and expand wet meadow and sagebrush habitat.
“We’re really excited with the scaled-down, nimble group,” Cooper said. “We were able to get a lot done with summer.”
Recently, the county worked with a landowner in the West End to secure over 9,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat and improve the wet meadow and sagebrush in the area. In 2023, the county will be collaborating with private landowners and public land to develop more protected areas, Cooper said.
The measures in San Miguel County complement the multi-year plan that the US Fish and Wildlife Service introduced in 2020 to protect the Gunnison sage-grouse. Their aim is to develop four resilient populations and improve habitat for three populations by reducing threats to protect existing habitats and developing better regulations.
Protecting the birds’ habitat can help the health of the planet. Sagebrush, and thus sage-grouse, could be an essential tool in fighting climate change. Initial research shows that deep-rooted sagebrush systems sequester more carbon than shallow grasslands.
Preserving the sagebrush ecosystem protects the grouse populations.
As climate change warms the region and causes more droughts, it is also essential to protect higher elevation habitats that could become “sagebrush dominated” systems in the future.
“The biggest challenge for the bird itself is our warming climate and drought and loss of habitat,” Osgood said.
“If high desert landscapes continue to dry out, the grouse will need to move up in elevation,” Cooper explained.
“This bird has certainly suffered. It's just not on our minds because their habitat is not in the mountains,” Osgood said.
Sheep Mountain Alliance will be hosting a commenting session in 2023, and locals are encouraged to give their input on the proposed protections.
“They were called prairie chickens for a reason. It’s important to protect the grouse if we want to preserve the American West for future generations,” Cooper said.