Gunnison Sage Grouse ‘Warranted but Precluded’ Decision Another Disappointment, Says Leading Bird Conservation Group

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Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Photo: Nappadol Paothong

(Washington, D.C., September 27, 2010) The decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is warranted for inclusion on the Endangered Species List but precluded because of other considerations is another disappointing non-action by the agency charged with protecting the nation’s wildlife, according to American Bird Conservancy (ABC).

“The Gunnison Sage-Grouse numbers fewer than 4,000 birds and occupies only about 10 percent of its historic range. Placing this bird on the Candidate List for endangered species protection at some un-named point is an abdication of responsibility,” said ABC President George Fenwick.

“Right now there are 250 species on the ESA Candidate List, some of which have been there for 30 years. This decision simply perpetuates the status quo with no expectation of a different outcome,” Fenwick said.

ABC has called for the ESA-listing of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, most recently in its new book “The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation,” described as the most authoritative book on bird conservation ever published. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is listed as globally endangered under IUCN-World Conservation Union criteria.

In March, 2010, FWS decided that a similar bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse, was also warranted for inclusion on the Endangered Species List but also precluded from listing for now. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is characterized by a smaller body size than its relative, with unique plumage. It is found only in six or seven counties in Colorado, and one in Utah. The Gunnison Basin in Colorado comprises over half the species’ entire world range.

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse uses different habitats for breeding, nesting, brood-rearing, and wintering at various times of the year. Breeding ground habitat is dominated by low, open vegetation with sagebrush areas. Nesting takes place within the sagebrush community. Brood-rearing habitat is along the edges of and into meadows and riparian areas with a large grass component and a high percentage of forbs. Winter habitat is determined primarily by snow depth. Sage-grouse eat only sagebrush leaves during the winter and often can only find exposed plants in drainages with specific characteristics. Other areas used during the winter include wind-swept mesas and ridge tops. For the grouse, all these habitats are important.

The pressing threats to the Gunnison Sage-Grouse continue to be the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of habitat from various land uses and the use of ATVs. ABC and other conservation groups are calling on FWS and the Bureau of Land Management to develop a regional management plan for Sage Grouse to address the multiple management challenges protecting the species’ vast but fragile habitat.

American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement. ABC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.