Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Santa Fe, NM – A broad coalition of conservation groups, led by WildEarth Guardians, today petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse under the Endangered Species Act. Due to threats including livestock grazing and conversion of native habitat to croplands, this bird, which once ranged across 11 Western states, has vanished from over 90% of its historic range, and is imperiled over at least 92% of its range.

“The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is on a crash course with extinction. Only two states have sizable populations, and both of these face serious threats” said Rana Banerjee of WildEarth Guardians. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once described as one of the most abundant birds in the intermountain west, and early pioneers described flocks of thousands that “darkened the sky” when they flew. Their unique mating dance is one of the most awesome animal spectacles in the West. Today, the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse has suffered extensive population and distribution declines. The coalition contends it is in danger of becoming extinct unless it is granted the strong protections provided by Endangered Species Act listing.

Columbian sharp-tailed grouse occupy shrub-steppe, mountain shrub, and riparian habitats in the intermountain west in the United States and British Columbia. Currently, only isolated populations of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse exist in northern Washington, northeastern Nevada, western Idaho, south central Idaho, southeastern Idaho, northern Utah, south-central Wyoming, northwestern Colorado and central British Columbia. The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse was first petitioned for Endangered Species Act

listing in 1995, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied the request despite dramatic declines, asserting that tracts of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), an agricultural land retirement program intended to control soil erosion, provided enough quality habitat to ensure the birds survival. Since it was denied listing, the grouse has vanished from the state of Montana, and threats continue to escalate. Although voluntary conservation plans were created by many states, since listing was denied, these plans have not been implemented, or in the case of Idaho (home to 80% of the population), have been abandoned completely. The bird has now disappeared from more than 90% of its historic range.

In recent years, Western politicians have successfully pressured the Department of Agriculture to open up CRP lands, the last Columbian sharp-tailed grouse strongholds, to so called “emergency” haying and grazing, to the detriment of the grouse. In addition, since 2003 CRP lands have been subject to “managed” haying and grazing.” These changes to the CRP put cattle into Columbian sharp-tailed grouse habitat just as the birds are nesting and raising their chicks.

“Risking the future of the Columbian Sharp-tailed grouse on the Conservation Reserve Program is irresponsible. CRP can no longer provide these birds with the quality habitat they need to survive” said Mark Salvo of American Lands Alliance. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse face numerous other threats to their continued survival, including conversion of native habitat to agriculture, livestock grazing, mechanical and chemical “treatment” of habitat, pesticide and insecticide application, altered fire regimes, invasion of non-native species, both excessive and accidental hunting, inbreeding/reduced genetic fitness, and road and power line construction. The ongoing western drought has compounded these threats, with no relief in sight.

The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is unfortunately just one of many western grouse species threatened with extinction. Members of the coalition are actively trying to protect these species, including the greater sage grouse, lesser prairie chicken, and the Gunnison’s sage grouse, which are all candidates awaiting Endangered Species Act listing. All these species face threats similar to those affecting Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Protecting these wide-ranging species will have beneficial effects not only on the birds in question, but will also provide protection for the ecosystems they inhabit.