Bird Advocates Question Raven-Killing Plans To Protect Sage Grouse

by Courtney Flatt 

March 21, 2019 11:15 a.m.

Deep in Oregon’s sagebrush country, there’s one county with an abundance of ravens. Biologists say those ravens like to eat sage grouse eggs, and they’ve come up with plans to take care of the raven problem.

That’s got bird advocates questioning whether killing one bird for the sake of another is the right move.

Sage grouse in Baker County are isolated. Their numbers have declined by 75 percent since 2005.

“The Baker (population) is the most imperiled in the state,” said Lee Foster, Oregon’s sage grouse coordinator. “We haven’t seen a similar decline anywhere else.”

A big problem in this county on Oregon’s eastern border: ravens. Foster said no other area in Oregon has so many ravens on the landscape. He said if sage grouse have trouble recovering because of predation, other habitat improvement projects won’t help.

To that point, the state has come up with plans to lethally remove up to 500 ravens in the area every year for three years.

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Trump administration plans to weaken protections for sage grouse

Under the new plan, the sage grouse’s protected area would shrink by about 9m acres to span just 1.8m acres

Oliver Milman

Thu 6 Dec 2018 19.18 GMTLast modified on Thu 6 Dec 2018 19.24 GMT

The Trump administration has unveiled plans to weaken environmental protections for sprawling areas of the western US considered important habitat for the sage grouse, a chicken-like bird known for its flamboyant courtship displays.

The proposals, put forward by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), essentially dismantle much of a landmark 2015 compromise struck between states, oil drilling companies and environmentalists to create a network of protected areas for the sage grouse across 11 western states.

Under the new plan, the sage grouse’s protected area would shrink by around 9m acres to span just 1.8m acres. The plan also removes habitat conservation standards for grazing activities and makes it easier for federal officials to waive protective buffers around sage grouse mating areas, called leks.

An estimated 16 million sage grouse once roamed a vast area of sagebrush in the US west but years of development and the spread of agriculture has razed much of its habitat, causing a 90% population drop from historic levels. Sage grouse require large areas of intact sagebrush to feed and mate.

Today, sage grouse are found in 11 states, with the new Trump administration plan unwinding protection plans in seven of them – north-eastern California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

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Federally subsidized shrubs, grasses crucial to sage grouse survival in Washington

Date: May 9, 2017

Source: University of Washington

The sage grouse is an exceptionally showy bird and an icon of the American West. But its sagebrush habitat is disappearing, and there is debate over how best to protect the populations in an increasingly developed landscape.

A new study by University of Washington, state and federal researchers analyzed sage grouse in Eastern Washington and showed a surprisingly large benefit from a federal program that subsidizes farmers to plant year-round grasses and native shrubs instead of crops. Although the program was adopted for many different reasons, the study finds it is probably the reason that sage grouse still live in portions of Washington's Columbia Basin.

"Without these lands, our models predict that we would lose about two thirds of the species' habitat, and that the sage grouse would go extinct in two of three subpopulations," said first author Andrew Shirk, a research scientist with the UW's Climate Impacts Group. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was established in 1985. It is a voluntary federal program that pays farmers to plant agricultural land with environmentally beneficial vegetation for 10- to 15-year contracts. The program's goals include improving water quality, reducing soil erosion and boosting wildlife habitat.

Of the roughly 24 million acres planted through the program in the United States, about 1.4 million acres are in Eastern Washington. The fields are planted with native shrubs and perennial grasses that provide cover for sage grouse and other animals.

"From the outset, it was envisioned that the CRP program would be good for wildlife," Shirk said. "But I don't think anyone expected that it would be this valuable. Our results show CRP isn't a substitute for native sagebrush, but mature CRP fields nearby augment native habitat and have had a tremendous positive impact -- it's a wildlife conservation success story."

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Power lines restrict sage grouse movement in Washington

Date: August 24, 2015

Source: University of Washington

Summary: Transmission lines that funnel power from hydroelectric dams and wind turbines across Eastern Washington affect greater sage grouse habitat by isolating fragile populations and limiting movement, a new study finds.

The paper, which looks at how features in the landscape limit the species' distribution and gene flow, is the first to show that power-line corridors are an obstacle for sage grouse as they move across the landscape to feed and reproduce. The study was published early online this summer in the journalLandscape Ecology.

Power lines and future development across the Columbia Plateau could further weaken the species, which is listed as threatened in Washington state. The entire U.S. population that spans 11 western states is up for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act and a decision on whether to officially designate the population as endangered is expected by the end of September.

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How Do You Learn the Sex Secrets of Birds? Send in the Fembot

by Megan Gannon, News Editor | May 14, 2015 07:16am ET

Considering that most of his comrades would die without ever mating, Dick was impressive.

He once pulled off 30 copulations in a single morning, 23 of them in as many minutes. Usually coy females were enamored with him. When other males got too close, he didn't trouble himself with long, drawn-out turf wars. Instead, with a brisk thwack, Dick repelled any intruders and got back to dancing. And he danced hard, for hours on end.

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Debate Over Protecting Sage-Grouse Re-Ignited with New Federal Bill

By Jenna Iacurci

Dec 23, 2014 12:10 PM EST

The long-standing debate over protecting the sage-grouse, a rare bird species in Coloradoand the West, has been re-ignited with a new federal bill passed by Congress last week.

According to The Associated Press (AP), certain provisions or "riders" in the 1,603-page spending bill has barred the federal government from splurging on rules to protect the bird. Meanwhile, wildlife managers with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) say that the sage-grouse is heading towards extinction, and this bill would prevent them from intervening on behalf of the species' survival.

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Medicine Hat, oil company want to quash bird protection order

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. -- A southern Alberta city and an oil and gas company are asking the courts to quash a federal emergency order that protects the sage grouse.

The City of Medicine Hat and LGX Oil & Gas Inc. filed an application Friday in Federal Court seeking a judicial review of the order.

The application asks the court to quash, alter or suspend the order for six months so the federal environment minister can consult with them.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/medicine-hat-oil-company-want-to-quash-bird-protection-order-1.1617234#ixzz2pQvpnYox

Federal environment minister says Ottawa to protect endangered sage grouse

The Canadian Press

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:22:00 CST

OTTAWA - After having its legal feathers ruffled in court, the federal government says it is moving to protect the endangered sage grouse.

Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Tuesday the government intends to introduce an emergency protection order for the bird native to the southern Prairies.

She said the order would impose obligatory restrictions to protect the sage grouse and its habitat on provincial and federal crown lands in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The restrictions would not apply to activities on private land, or on grazing on provincial or federal crown lands.

"Through a combination of stewardship measures we are addressing the imminent threats to the Greater Sage-Grouse," Aglukkaq said in a release.

"We will be working with provinces and stakeholders over the coming months to implement these measures."

The sage grouse population in Canada has declined by nearly 98 per cent since 1988, with less than 150 birds now remaining in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Last year environmental groups went to court to force Ottawa to issue an emergency protection order for the bird after the government said discussions about the sage grouse were covered by cabinet confidentiality.

Last month the Federal Court of Appeal ruled the federal government can't use cabinet secrecy to hide debate about the endangered bird.

Conservation groups said Tuesday they were cautiously optimistic about the government's decision, but want more details about the plan.

"We have yet to see when — or even if — the emergency order will be implemented, and whether it will provide real, meaningful protection for these prairie birds and their critical habitat," said Melissa Gorrie, lawyer for the group Ecojustice.

Nature Canada and other organizations expressed similar views, praising the decision but calling on the federal government for more information.

"Some of the key specifics of the order are still unknown at this time, so we're going to have to wait and see all the details before we know what it will mean for this iconic at-risk species," said Ian Davidson, executive director of Nature Canada.

"Even so, we are treating this as a very positive development."

Environment Canada said an emergency order under the federal Species At Risk Act can be used when a species faces imminent threats to its survival.

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Jackson Hole Airport to make bird analysis public

JACKSON, Wyo. — The nation's only commercial airport inside a national park is keeping secret its plans to protect birds from collisions with aircraft.

The Jackson Hole Airport will make its environmental analysis public for review once it's done. The airport is working on a plan to protect birds, especially sage grouse.

The bird plan is required by the Federal Aviation Administration and will be finalized over the next six to eight months. The airport director said that any actions suggested by the analysis could require further study and public comment.

Wildlife officials say the airport is considering trying to relocate a sage grouse breeding ground, called a lek, to draw birds away from the runway's north end.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/jackson-hole-airport-to-make-bird-analysis-public/article_2dc595fa-5613-58fd-91fb-874031c444f3.html#ixzz2F45wxMuQ