Like bison, grizzly bears, and elk, the Sage Grouse used to be seen in great numbers across a lot of America’s west. Today, that’s not true. As sage brush disappears from the western range, the birds are disappearing, too. While saving them seems sounds like a no-brainer, some farmers, ranchers, developers, and gas companies are saying no way.
But others are helping out. Check out this story from NPR to learn more about the issue:
In Montana Wilds, An Unlikely Alliance To Save The Sage Grouse
“As its name implies, the sage grouse lives in sagebrush country, the rolling hills of knee-high scrub that’s the common backdrop in movie Westerns. Pristine sagebrush is disappearing, however, and so are the birds. Biologists want to protect the sage grouse, but without starting a 21st century range war over it. So they’ve undertaken a grand experiment in the American West, to keep the grouse happy, as well as cattle ranchers and the energy industry…”
Read the entire piece here , listen to the radio story, and check out the great slide show.
Check out this PDF – Beginner’s Guide to Greater Sage Grouse – to learn more about Sage Grouse and how to conserve them.
(With my tongue firmly in my cheek)
“Everything out there eats sage grouse,” says biologist David Naugle, a sage grouse expert at the University of Montana. “They’re like ice cream.”
No, ice cream tastes good…and it’s smarter than your average sage grouse.
If you haven’t visited a lek during mating season though, you’re missing out. They are truly amazing birds and they are absolutely worthy of conservation.