Sage grouse numbers rise, but worries continue

BOISE — The number of sage grouse, proposed for possible listing under the Endangered Species List, is increasing in Idaho’s deserts, but biologists remain concerned about the effect of wildfires on critical sagebrush habitat.

Spring counts of the birds are up at breeding grounds from northeastern Idaho to the Owyhees, state wildlife program coordinator Tom Hemker said Monday. In the Twin Falls region, grouse have increased 113 percent since 1994.

“That’s pretty common throughout the state. But it’s still not the kind of numbers we saw in the 1960s,” he said.

Sage grouse are one of Idaho’s largest birds and the second-largest game bird, behind the wild turkey. As a species, they range widely in 11 western states and two Canadian provinces. They live almost exclusively in remote, open wild lands and require plenty of sagebrush plants for both food and shelter.

In springtime, the birds congregate on mating grounds called leks, where males step out into clearings, puff out colored skin sacks on their chest, strut and call to the females waiting in nearby cover.

Earlier this year, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that there was enough biological evidence to support a closer study of whether the birds warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act.

If that happened, vast tracts of private and public property could come under new regulations that mandate stricter land use policies to support recovery.

“We would spend a lot of time and money making a lot of decisions that would not necessarily help the sage grouse,” Hemker said.

The Idaho Conservation League, an environmental group, believes the long-term population decline is due to numerous influences, including wildfire, weeds and non-native plant infestations.

League board member Ted Chu of Idaho Falls said the recent recovery is a short-term response to favorable weather conditions, especially damp springs that increase insect populations.