Multi-species benefits of the proposed North American sage-grouse management plan
This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document here.Abstract
The population size and distribution of the two species of sage-grouse (Greater – Centrocercus urophasianus and Gunnison – C. minimus) populations have become greatly reduced throughout western North America because of habitat changes. Threats are ongoing to the remaining sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) shrub steppe areas due to current land-use patterns. The proposed North American Sage-Grouse Management Plan, if implemented, could help manage existing sagebrush habitats used by sage-grouse and other sagebrushdependent avifauna, restore degraded habitats, and rehabilitate habitats no longer capable of sustaining sagegrouse within the sagebrush habitat type in western North America. The long-term goal would be to restore sagebrush habitats capable of sustaining sage-grouse distribution and abundance at pre-1960 levels. The proposed North American Sage-Grouse Management Plan would have important benefits to other sagebrush obligate species such as Sage Sparrow (Amphispiza belli), Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus), and Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri) as well as other avian species that seasonally use shrub-steppe habitats for important life processes.