Where can I find sage-grouse in Wyoming?

Take Barber Creek Road about 2 miles south to Schoonover Road. Travel southwest on Schoonover Road about 3 miles and cross a cattle guard. The sage-grouse will be strutting on, or adjacent to, the road 200 to 300 yards past the cattle guard.

Where can you see sage-grouse?

Today, sage grouse inhabit the sage steppe ecosystem that covers 186 million acres in parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota, and North Dakota, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

How many sage-grouse are in Wyoming?

The numbers. Trained observers counted more than 21,000 male sage grouse on 87% of known occupied leks in Wyoming during the spring census, Schreiber said.

Why did the greater sage-grouse range change?

Loss of habitat (through clearing for farmland and overgrazing) is one major cause. Threatened by energy development and the effects of invasive plants in much of its remaining range.

What percentage of Wyoming is considered sage grouse habitat?

37 percent
States with the largest percentage of sage grouse included Wyoming (37 percent, or approximately 74,000 birds to 185,000 birds), Montana (18 percent, or approximately 36,000 birds to 90,000 birds), Idaho, and Nevada (each with 14 percent, or approximately 28,000 birds to 70,000 birds).

Are sage grouse protected in Wyoming?

The Service has determined that protection for the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act is no longer warranted and is withdrawing the species from the candidate species list.

What is the average lifespan of a sage grouse?

1 ½ years
The birds are found at elevations ranging from 4,000, to over 9,000 feet and are dependent on sagebrush for cover and food. The greater sage-grouse has an average life span of 1 ½ years, however they have been seen to live up to 9 years.

What animals eat sage grouse?

Coyotes, ground squirrels (Sciuridae spp.), and badgers are the most important mammalian nest predators. Among bird species, magpies and ravens commonly prey on Greater Sage-Grouse nests. Greater sage-grouse are a popular game bird.

What is the average lifespan of a sage-grouse?

What state has the most sage-grouse?

Wyoming
Wyoming is a stronghold for greater sage-grouse, with the most birds and the most sagebrush of any state. The state is home to 43 million acres of sagebrush, an estimated 37 percent of the greater sage-grouse population and the most leks in the greater sage-grouse’s range.

Why are sage grouse important?

Sage grouse are an important part of the web of life in the West. When we protect habitat for sage grouse, we protect habitat for hundreds of other animals including elk, deer, and antelope, creating a cascade effect for conservation.

Are sage grouse endangered in Wyoming?

A status review conducted by the Service has found that the greater sage-grouse remains relatively abundant and well-distributed across the species’ 173-million acre range and does not face the risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future.

What is the game and Fish Department doing for sage grouse?

Learn what the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is doing to help protect this important species and their habitat. View the State of Wyoming’s Greater Sage-grouse Executive Order documents, federal agency guidance publications, and other implementation documents.

When is the best time to see sage grouse in Wyoming?

The dramatic display makes viewing sage-grouse a popular recreational activity in March and April across much of Wyoming. The Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan recommends that only a small number of lek viewing sites be publicized along with information on how to minimize viewing disturbance to the grouse.

Are there any sage grouse Lek viewing sites?

The Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan recommends that only a small number of lek viewing sites be publicized along with information on how to minimize viewing disturbance to the grouse. This information is designed to implement that recommendation.

Where is the sage grouse Lek in Casper Wyoming?

The lek is on the north side of the road. How to get there: Take Hwy 220 west of Casper for approximately 40 miles. Just west of mile post 73, turn right on Oregon Trail Rd. (Natrona County Rd 319). Proceed northeast along County Rd 319 for approximately 9 miles. There is a stock pond on the north side of the road; park there and look south.