Sage grouse plan out for public review

By LARRY MEYER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:21 AM PDT

A sage grouse struts during mating season in Malheur County. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s sage grouse plan is now available for public review.

VALE — While the wait is on for whether the sage grouse will be listed as a threatened species, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s five-year update to its greater sage-grouse conservation plan is now out for public review, focusing on protecting the best or priority habitats.

The Malheur County Court was given a briefing during its regular Wednesday session by Christian Hagen, ODFW Sage-Grouse Conservation coordinator of the plan.

“We’re looking for further decline in sage grouse,” Hagen told the court.

To that end, the plan proposes there be no disturbance or further disturbance on 70 percent of sage grouse habitat, with some disturbance allowed on 30 percent, he said. This landscape approach to habitat protection is referred to as core areas. It prioritizes habitats according to breeding bird density of sage grouse populations and associated habitats.

Oregon accounts for 20 habitats of the greater sage grouse, which ranges across 11 states, Hagen said.

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“Malheur County has 38 percent of the habitat in Oregon,” he said.

About 30 percent of the reduction of habitat in Oregon has occurred in the Columbia Plateau, Hagen said, through loss of sagebrush to development, including conversion to farmland. Invasive species and juniper encroachment have also contributed to habitat loss, Hagen said. Juniper eradication is a major part of habitat — sagebrush — restoration. Wildfires have also had a negative impact on habitat.

Sagebrush is important as feed, cover and nesting for sage rouse, Hagen said.

Asked by Commissioner Jim Nakano about the impact of West Nile virus, Hagen said sage grouse are highly susceptible to West Nile and have not developed defenses against it. There have not been any waves or large die-offs, he said.

“There are hot spots,” he said.

One of those hot spots was the Burns Junction area. West Nile dropped the sage grouse numbers there from 120 to five. Recent counts put the number up to 23, Hagen said. Overall, after a decline in numbers from 2004 to 2007, sage grouse numbers are again coming up, he said.

More information about sage-grouse core areas and the updated plan is available on the ODFW’s Web site.