"The sage grouse hit the top level of the Department of the Interior at the end of last year when people at very high levels realized what would happen to the department if the species was listed, and that got some huge attention from people, particularly when you look at the oil and gas intentions of the administration."
John Augsburger, Bureau of Land Management
If the sage grouse is listed as threatened or endangered later this month, the Bureau of Land Management and Americans who use the agency's 261 million acres will have to brace for some dramatic management changes in the years to come.
"It would change almost the way everything is done on public lands, potentially, because all the uses on public lands couldn't get into something that affects sage grouse," said John Augsburger, a wildlife biologist with the Idaho office of the BLM. "It would be astronomic."
Sage grouse listing would affect everything from authorization of overhead power lines to oil and gas leasing, from road building to road paving.
"It goes on and on," Augsburger said. "All of them have some relation to sage grouse."
It's been more than 10 years since the sage grouse was first discussed as a candidate for endangered species listing, and since then Western states, citizen groups and federal agencies have initiated grassroots efforts to improve the birds' habitat and head off listing.
But on Dec. 29, a little more than a month after the BLM will have released a new management blueprint to help the birds recover, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to give a decision on listing for the species, which once ranged throughout the West and whose population numbered around 2 million.
Since 1900, the sage grouse has vanished from Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Oklahoma in the United States and British Columbia in Canada. There are fewer than 200,000 of them today.
Locally, sage grouse have declined from historic levels, but populations have plateaued in recent years and even showed mild improvement last year.
That's not to say, however, that biologists are resting on their laurels. The overall population trend still appears to be falling, said Gary Wright, a biologist with the BLM's Shoshone Field Office, which manages 1.72 million acres primarily on the Snake River Plain.
Because biologists generally agree that deterioration of sagebrush habitat is responsible for the bird's decline, that is where they are focusing most of their attention.
"We've had some big fires in the `90s," Wright said. "There have been some others, the Roe Fire and Tiptop were in the midst of lek areas (dancing grounds where sage grouse congregate to mate.)
"Their values are diminished until we can get some minimal sagebrush cover. It takes a little while for that to come in."
But sage grouse habitat is susceptible to damage from more than fire. Roads, natural gas drilling, power lines and conversion of the plains into farmland are all activities that fragment sage grouse habitat and have an effect on the species' populations.
Wright said the Shoshone Field Office is engaging in ongoing efforts to restore sage grouse habitat, which consists of sagebrush and the native grasses that grow beneath it. Habitat is integral to the bird's survival.
"One of the most interesting aspects about the sage grouse is its nearly complete reliance on sagebrush," according to a Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet. "These birds cannot survive in areas where sagebrush no longer exists."
In the winter, 99 percent of the bird's diet consists of sagebrush. In the spring, young chicks rely on scrubby plants for cover from predators.
It takes between 15 and 20 years for sagebrush to firmly reestablish following a fire, Wright said, but that timeframe depends on competition from other plant species, particularly non-native exotic species like cheat grass.
"We're trying to be proactive," Wright said. "If they were listed, we would have to consult with Fish and Wildlife on discretionary actions like recreational use permits, rights of way, weed control, grazing, prescribed fire."
The state of Idaho has been working in concert with the federal agencies and on-the-ground citizen groups to help avoid listing. The Fish and Wildlife Service's announcement this December will be one indicator on whether those efforts were significant enough.
As another measure that could help head off listing, the BLM on Nov. 16 released a national strategy outlining additional steps the agency will take to maintain, enhance and restore sage grouse habitat.
"The sage grouse hit the top level of the Department of the Interior at the end of last year when people at very high levels realized what would happen to the department if the species was listed, and that got some huge attention from people," Augsburger said, "particularly when you look at the oil and gas intentions of the administration."
Because the sage grouse is so widespread, the fray that could follow Endangered Species Act listing of the bird is predicted to be monumental.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said the sage grouse could be the spotted owl of the Intermountain West, but pointed out the sage grouse occupies nearly 12 times as much land as the northern spotted owl.
When the BLM released its plan last month, Idaho's congressional delegation took notice.
"Starting from the ground up and working with local partners to address the issue at the local level is the next step in conserving sage grouse," said U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. "Hunters all across southern Idaho report seeing more birds this year than last. This means our efforts are paying off. The next step is for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recognize these on-going efforts."
