Sally

Explores Idaho

Sage-Grouse

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

BLM Idaho Junior Explorers 
Your journey will acquaint you with a very important bird and take you to 

some of the most beautiful and unusual places in Idaho! 

This publication was produced by BLM-Idaho’s Office of Communications. Additional copies may be obtained by calling (208) 373-4000 

or by writing to: BLM-Idaho, Office of Communications, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709.

Written by Jessica Gardetto. Publishing services by the BLM National Operations Center. Illustrations, layout, and design, Ethel Coontz; 

editing, Nancy Esworthy; printing, Sherri Hendren.

Permission to use the photos in this publication was given specifically and solely to the Bureau of Land Management for nonprofit 

publication and distribution. Anyone seeking to reproduce or distribute these images should first seek and obtain permission from the 

owner of the photo(s) before doing so. 

2014

BLM/ID/GI-14/006+1110

Can you find all 20 places 

where Sally appears in 

this booklet? Look hard—

she gets around!
Public Lands Belong to You! 1

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) works to make sure that the nation’s public lands 

are healthy for everyone to enjoy! In Idaho, that means managing nearly 12 million acres. 

That’s nearly one-fourth of the total land in the state.

Public lands are places to play and explore! You can hike, camp, and fish and do many 

other fun things. You can also go geocaching, a kind of high-tech treasure hunt for hidden 

containers. You can even find and follow the routes traveled by the pioneers, or learn 

about lands used and cherished by Native Americans.

Public lands are special because they fulfill so many needs. They provide wonderful 

opportunities for recreation. They also provide a place with the food, water, and shelter 

that many plant and animal species need to live, or habitat. They offer grazing for cattle, 

sheep, and horses. And they contain minerals that people need for building (stone and 

gravel), for energy power (oil, coal, and geothermal steam), and for other uses (copper, 

silver, and gold).

Junior Explorers

The BLM’s Junior Explorer program helps introduce young explorers like you to the lands 

and resources that the BLM manages. In this Junior Explorer booklet you will meet Sally, 

a most unusual bird that lives on the ground instead of in the trees. Sally will teach you 

all about being a sage-grouse. Then she’ll fly you to a beautiful and secluded wilderness, 

above scenic rivers and deep valleys as she journeys to find food and shelter.

To earn a Junior Explorer badge and certificate, complete at least five of the activities in this 

booklet. You can check your answers in the Answer Key on page 27. Then mail or bring 

your signed pledge (page 23) to the BLM Idaho State Office at 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, 

ID 83709—your gateway to fun on Idaho’s public lands!

Photo by Mark Coontz
2

My sage-grouse friends and I are large, roundish birds about the size of a very big 

chicken or pheasant. Males are especially recognizable by their beautiful feathers, or 

plumage [PLOOM-ij]. 

Male and Female Sage-Grouse

throat patch

eye comb

filoplumes

air sac

wing

tail feather

beak

Photo by Kim Toulouse

Photo by Kim Toulouse

Photo by Kim Toulouse

Female Sage-Grouse

Male Sage-Grouse
3

Learn What They L k Like

Directions: Color the male sage-grouse to look like the one in the photo opposite.
4

My chicks will hatch in a nest on the ground. The best 

place for me to build a nest is underneath sagebrush. 

Doing so helps me hide my eggs from predators

(animals that must eat, or prey on, other 

animals to live), such as coyotes, badgers, 

weasels, and eagles. Tall grass is also great 

for hiding my nest—and me, too!

I lay about seven to nine eggs. They are 

usually olive-colored or greenish-white with 

brown dots. Around day 25, my little chicks 

start hatching. Each one has an egg tooth,

a temporary tip on its bill that helps it break 

through the hard shell of the egg. After 

several days, my family of chicks (brood)

is complete!

Did You Know?

My chicks can walk right away! They hatch from their 

eggs covered in feathers, with their eyes open, so they 

can run from predators if necessary. Because of this, 

scientists call them precocial [pre-CO-shul], but I just call 

them cute. Has anyone ever called you precocious

[pre-CO-shus]? Well, if so, I guess you’re just advanced 

for your age, too!

Chicks

BADGER

WEASEL

GOLDEN EAGLE

Photo by Bob Wick Photo by Dennis Garrison, U.S. Forest Service

Photo by Terry Spivey, U.S. Forest Service
5 Build a Nest

Directions: Circle the things that you would use to help Sally build a nest.

Directions: Find the two chicks in the nest 

pictured above, and draw a line around them.

Photo provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture
With each season, my sage-grouse friends and I must travel to different places—or join in a 

migration—to breed and raise our young and to find food and shelter.

In early spring, the days are getting longer. The snow has melted and the smell of fresh 

grass is everywhere! Sagebrush leaves fill the air with their powerful, spicy odor. If you stop 

and listen, you can hear the clear, flute-like songs of the meadowlarks as the birds call to 

one another from the tops of sagebrush branches.

My sage-grouse friends and I have gathered around open areas on the range, or leks. Here, 

on these grassy dance floors, the males “display” by taking a few steps forward and fanning 

their tail feathers. They keep their neck feathers—called filoplumes [FIL-a-PLOOMS]—and 

eye combs upright. They do all this to attract females. At the same time, they make a 

spectacular show of inflating yellow air sacs in their chests. This makes a “plopping” sound 

that is unlike anything else you’ve ever heard!

After my female sage-grouse friends and I choose a mate, we make our nests in the safety 

of the sagebrush. Usually our nests are within a few miles of the lek. Later, our newborn 

chicks will be hungry. We will watch protectively over them as they fill up on ants and 

beetles. I will call to mine constantly and listen for their different voices calling back.

Native Americans have always been very aware of nature and how humans need to live in 

harmony with the natural world. Some Native American tribes perform dances and wear

traditional clothing, called regalia [re-GAIL-ya], to imitate the colorful displays and unique 

strutting of the male sage-grouse on the lek.

6 Spring

Fun Fact!

Photo by Bob Wick
7

Photo by Samara Hawkins, High Prairie Peace News

Dance on a Lek 

You can watch and listen to a video of sage-grouse dancing on a lek here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov9_72xLeF0

Want to get into the action and move, too? Play this hopscotch 

game with friends or by yourself!

Directions: Mark this hopscotch pattern on the ground using chalk or 

masking tape.

Stand behind square 1 and toss your marker—something like a stone or 

button—into it. Hop through the numbered course on one foot. Skip any 

squares with a marker in them. If you land in the DISPLAY square, you 

can stand on both feet. Then make a “Y” in the air with your arms to 

pretend you are a sage-grouse fanning your tail.

Continue hopping toward square 10, but watch out 

for the Eagle!! square. If you land inside it, an eagle 

will swoop down and take you off the lek, and your 

turn is over! Skip over it! 

In square 10 you are safe; turn around, and hop back again.

Toss your marker into square 2, and repeat the pattern. The 

first person to complete one course for every numbered 

square wins!

Your Turn Is Over When: You step on a line; you miss a 

numbered square; you go into a square where there is a 

marker; you put two feet down in a single box; or you land 

in the Eagle!! square. When your turn is over, you must leave 

your marker where you last left off.

Check here if you watched the video ______

Check here if you played hopscotch _______
8 Summer

It’s summer, and the call of cicada 

[si-KAY-da] bugs fills your ears with a constant 

“buzzzzzzzzzzzzz.” Many rangeland animals hide from the heat under 

the shade of the sagebrush. When the hot summer sun starts to dry out 

the plants, we head for cooler and wetter grounds. There we will eat 

flowering plants. We find them along streams and riverbanks, in meadows 

and farm fields, and higher up on mountainsides. The fresh water and 

shade help keep us cool! Our little chicks follow behind us and grow 

strong. They use their tiny beaks and keen eyesight to peck insects from 

plants, shrubs, and grasses.

We prefer to walk slowly, moving this way and 

that, about a half mile or so a day. But we can fly 

really fast, too. Almost 50 miles per hour!
Search for Food 9

Directions: Use your pencil to follow Sally and her chicks through the maze to find tasty 

insects, plants, and flowers.
10

Fall is here, the air is crisp, and the days are getting shorter. My sage-grouse friends and 

I search for food under or near the protective cover of sagebrush. We will move slowly 

toward our winter home. Because we blend in with this landscape, it is harder for predators 

to see and catch us. On the ground, we are stalked by coyotes, foxes, and even bobcats. 

Every day we watch and listen for golden eagles and hawks above our heads, too. We hide 

from them underneath the grass and sagebrush, quietly sitting still until they pass by.

Fall

Photo by Bob Wick

Photo by Bob Wick

Photo by Bob Wick
Stay Safe from Predators 11

Directions: Find these predators hiding in the landscape: Raccoon, fox, weasel, coyote, 

snake, prairie falcon, bald eagle, bobcat, and badger.

If you color the scene pictured above, too, that counts as two activities!

Yikes!

Animal drawings contributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
12 Winter

The winter wind whips across the rangeland, burying everything under a white blanket of 

snow. We search the land for green leaves of sagebrush poking out from the snow. Sagebrush 

is the ONLY thing we eat all winter, so we must find it to survive these cold winter days. 

Directions: Now you understand what it means to be a sage-grouse, what we need to 

live, and why we migrate. The map opposite shows some places we go in Idaho to find 

food and shelter. Use the map and the map’s Legend to answer these questions.

1. Sagebrush rangeland is plentiful near the state capital. What is the name of Idaho’s 

capital city? ___________________

2. Leks need to be at least 2–3 miles away from developments and cities. What town is 

closest to Lek 4? How many miles away is the town from the lek? (Round up to the 

nearest “5.”) ___________________; ____________________

3. What is the large plain that runs through most of southern Idaho? ___________________

4. What national monument would sage-grouse enter when migrating south from Lek 1 

to Lek 3? ________________________________________

5. Meriwether Lewis introduced the sage-grouse to science in 1805. He first saw these 

birds when exploring parts of the then-unknown West with William Clarke. What 

mountain range did Lewis and Clark have to cross when entering Idaho from Montana? 

____________________________

6. Parts of the Owyhee [o-WHY-hee] River Wilderness provide abundant food and 

shelter, as well as leks, for sage-grouse. Name the river that flows directly east of that 

wilderness. _____________________

7. Some sage-grouse in Idaho have migrated as far as 40 miles or more between their 

summer and winter range! If a sage-grouse migrated from Lek 2 to Lek 3—about 40 

miles—and traveled 2 miles each day, how many days would the trip take? __________
13 Read a Map Before You Migrate

Did You know?

Sage-grouse are the only animals that can survive solely on sagebrush leaves. Antelope 

and other rangeland animals must eat other plants, too.

To make snowflakes like these, watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3XiqUeFBHQ.
14 Morley Nelson and Snake River Canyon

Now, let’s do some exploring together. I know some fun places you can visit with your 

family and friends in the beautiful state of Idaho!

Our first stop is the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. 

(That’s a lot of words, isn’t it?) Here, the Snake River slowly carved a deep, narrow valley, 

or canyon, over thousands of years. More birds of prey nest and live here than at any 

other place in North America! Just think—you could be one of those people at Dedication 

Point. Imagine looking through binoculars or a camera at the soaring golden eagles, 

hawks, and falcons! But I’m not going to stay long. Do you know why? Because some 

of these birds can easily eat me!

Sage-grouse once lived in the Birds of Prey area, but wildfires burned most of the 

sagebrush. An invasive weed called cheatgrass then spread across the land. Cheatgrass 

is not a native plant; it is from another country. Cheatgrass offers no food or shelter for 

sage-grouse. Areas taken over by cheatgrass have less sagebrush and are more likely to 

catch fire and burn.
15 Take Time To Discover What’s in the Photos

Directions: Look at the six photos above. What do you see? These pictures show some 

of the beautiful places in Sally’s world. Then look at the photos below on the Bingo board. 

Some of them contain small pieces of the six photos above; some do not. Try to find these 

small pieces within the six photos above. When you find a match, check (√) the box on the 

Bingo board next to the photo. You’re done when you get three in a row—that’s Bingo!

“Join me as I fly south from here, 

so I can find a safe place to live!”
16 Owyhee River Wilderness

Here we are at one of my favorite places—the Owyhee River 

Wilderness! This is a quiet and magical place. The sagebrushcovered plains drop off suddenly into steep canyons carved by the 

rivers far below. For millions of years, the Owyhee River and the 

weather have worn away the volcanic rock and soil of the cliffs. 

What remains are unusually shaped rock columns called hoodoos.

My sage-grouse friends and I stay out of the canyon to avoid 

predators. Up here on the plains we have a wonderful place to 

choose a mate and raise a family among the sagebrush.

Fun Fact!

The Owyhee River Wilderness is so rugged and remote that I 

love the solitude it provides. There are few roads or trails—

which is one reason why this place is called a wilderness. But 

people can enjoy the scenery and wildlife, too, by floating the 

rivers in canoes and rafts. Be warned, though! The slowmoving river can quickly slide into a wild burst of water. I can 

see rafts bumping up against boulders, and water splashing and 

soaking the people inside. Humans must be very skilled rafters 

to travel here!
17 Float the River

Hoodoos look like stone giants guarding the river. They stand tall, like people. 

If you look hard enough, a part of the rock may jut out like a nose or chin, or 

a pair of folded hands. Cracks and lines can turn the rock face into a puzzled 

smile or a winked greeting.

Directions: Use your imagination, and draw some hoodoo “rock people” of 

your own.
18 Bruneau Overlook and Bruneau River

Can you believe that there is so much wilderness in 

Idaho? Fly with me to the Bruneau Canyon Overlook 

for a wonderful view of the Bruneau Wild and Scenic River. 

This huge desert gorge on the Bruneau River is 1,300 feet wide, 

800 feet deep, and 60 miles long! The sagebrush growing on 

the flat areas above the canyon feeds sage-grouse all year long. 

Other animals like to come here and eat, too. Bighorn sheep and 

antelope are some.

Photo by Bob Wick Photo by Bob Wick Photo by Bob Wick

Photo by Bob Wick
Experience the Wilderness 19

Write a poem about Sally’s journey. Try this! Write a poem about Sally’s journey...

Line 1: Something Sally has seen or heard

Line 2: How it looks or sounds

Line 3: What it does

Line 4: Something Sally might say about it

Example: Your Poem

Sagebrush,

Tall and green,

Casting shadows,

Welcome shade!

Photo by Bob Wick
20 A Career in Wildlife 

Name: Bruce Schoeberl

Years with the BLM: 5

Education: Degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and in 

General Biology

“I feel like I am the voice for wildlife in my area. Animals can’t tell us 

DIRECTLY what they need. But there’s a lot we can learn INDIRECTLY by 

observing them. And then we can help those most in need of protection.”

Bruce travels to leks by helicopter to count sage-grouse during the mating 

period. His team also looks for sage-grouse at night. They play loud music 

to cover the sound of their footsteps, and then shine a bright light to 

distract the birds they find. After catching a bird with a fishing net, Bruce attaches a transmitter to the 

bird’s body. Information gathered this way tells the BLM key things—including which areas to protect as 

most important to the sage-grouse for food, water, and nest cover. 

Other than helping wildlife, what’s the best part of the job? “Getting out into the field and not knowing 

what I might see,” Bruce says. “A bobcat could run across the road in front of me. Or a golden eagle 

could suddenly swoop down from the sky. Or I might stumble across a beautiful, but angry, rattlesnake!”

We asked Bruce if being a Wildlife Biologist could be DANGEROUS. He told us about an assignment he 

once had helping giant tortoises [TOR-tus-ez] (turtles) on an island in the Indian Ocean. While traveling 

around the island, his boat capsized! He spent 4 hours in a shark-infested lagoon before reaching land 

and being rescued. So ... you decide!

Name: Jeremy Bisson

Years with the BLM: 7

Education: Degrees in Wildlife Management and Zoology; GIS (Geographic 

Information System) training 

“I feel really lucky to get to do this work. I find it rewarding and meaningful.”

Jeremy works to conserve the habitat of the sage-grouse. He measures the 

height of plants and the amount of plant cover in an area. Then he creates 

maps that show this information. The BLM uses these maps to ensure that 

sage-grouse habitat is not harmed by human activities on the land. 

Jeremy especially enjoys helping to restore sage-grouse habitat. “I have the 

most fun being in the field, in the habitat, and enjoying all that nature has to 

offer,” he says. One restoration project Jeremy planned extended across 38,000 acres—an area roughly the 

size of a small city, such as Grand View, Idaho. That project must have been AWESOME fun!
We Need Your Help! 21

My sage-grouse friends and I really need your help. We are losing many of the places 

where we have always lived. Wildfire, invasive weeds, and some human impacts—such as 

power lines, oil and gas wells, and mining—are changing our habitat. Read more to see 

what you can do to help save me and my sage-grouse friends!

What You Can Do 

Prevent wildfires! Lightning causes many wildfires, but wildfires started by people 

have also burned acres and acres of sagebrush. You can help preserve this plant 

that we need to survive by being careful with anything that may cause a fire. DO 

NOT use matches, lighters, or anything with a flame without an adult’s supervision! 

Volunteer! You can help the BLM put markers on fences so that we sage-grouse 

can see them better and not run into them and injure ourselves. You can also help 

the BLM plant sagebrush and other plants after wildfires have burned our food 

supply. For more information, please visit www.id.blm.gov.

Learn more! Discover more about us and our habitat at www.id.blm.gov.

And tell others about us, too!

People at the BLM are working hard to save me and my friends. They are finding ways to 

keep sagebrush habitat from being destroyed, while respecting the desires of people to use 

public lands for recreation, livestock grazing, scientific study, and other purposes.

Photo by Katrina Krause Photo by Katrina Krause
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22 Glossary Crossword

Directions: The crossword puzzle below was built using the words you have learned in 

this booklet. Complete it to make your own Glossary!

Across:

1. Group of chicks in one family. 

4. Open area near sagebrush used for mating displays.

6. A word describing birds that hatch from their eggs covered 

in feathers, with their eyes open, and able to move around. 

7. Covering of feathers on a bird. 

9. A plant that is not native where it is growing, and 

that takes over or prevents native plants from growing. 

12. An animal that eats other animals to survive. 

14. A place that provides the food, water, and shelter that an 

animal or plant needs to live.

15. A strange rock formation created when a river or the 

weather wears away volcanic rock. 

Down:

2. Objects and clothing used and worn by many Native 

American tribes when they are practicing their traditional 

dances on formal occasions.

3. Specialized neck feathers of the male sage-grouse.

5. An undeveloped, natural, and often remote place.

8. Seasonal movement of birds (and other animals) to find food 

and shelter. 

10. Relating to or originating from a volcano.

11. Temporary tip on a chick’s bill that allows the chick to 

break the hard shell of the egg and hatch.

13. A deep, narrow valley with steep sides, which often 

has a stream flowing through it. 
23 Junior Explorer Pledge

Bureau of Land Management

Junior Explorer

As a Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer, I promise to:

•	 do all I can to help preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources on our

public lands,

•	 be aware of how my actions can affect other living things and the evidence of

our past,

•	 keep learning about the importance of nature and our heritage, and

•	 share what I have learned with others!

_________________________________ _________________________________

Explorer Signature Date

25

Out here in the wilderness, the stars are so bright, as if you could reach out and grab 

them! There is a Native American legend about one very bright star—the North Star—that 

I would like to share with you:

Long, long ago, there was a brave mountain sheep named Na-gah. He was both daring 

and sure-footed. Na-gah was very good at climbing tall mountains, but one day, he found a 

mountain he could not climb. It was so tall that he could not see the top! He tried for days to 

climb it, but the mountain’s sheer, steep cliffs offered no foothold for him to climb up. 

So Na-gah crept inside the mountain and found a dark cave that led upwards. With much 

effort, he climbed through the darkness. Rocks rolled out from under him, until finally the 

cave collapsed behind him with a big “BOOM!” Na-gah kept climbing, out of the darkness, 

into the light, where he could gaze in wonder at the breathtaking height and beauty of 

his tiny foothold in the sky. He was forever trapped on top of this tallest mountain, but he 

had climbed his mountain and he was happy!

Na-gah’s father searched for him all over the world and finally, he heard Na-gah calling 

back to him. Na-gah’s father became sorrowful when he realized that his son could never 

descend from the top of the tallest mountain. He said, “I will save my son from death by 

turning him into a star. He will shine there for everyone to see, for all time. He shall guide 

all living things on the Earth and in the sky.” 

From that day on, Na-gah became a bright star visible to every living creature on Earth. He 

is the only star in the entire sky that is always in the same place, standing still. For centuries, 

travelers have relied on him to find their way. He is called the “Fixed Star” or the “North 

Star.” Other sheep known as the “Big Dipper” and “Little Dipper”—now also stars—circle 

round and round him, looking for the way up to that magnificent place in the sky!

Look Up!

Photo by Terry L. Spivey, Terry L. Spivey Photography, Bugwood.org
26 Be Kind to Nature

Visiting your public lands is one of the best ways to learn about nature and the amazing 

animals that live in Idaho. Read the outdoor tips below to learn how to visit safely while 

respecting the land and the animals that live here.

If you see a wild animal, stay quiet and watch it from a distance. If you see or have any 

trash, pack it out with you and throw it away at home. Trash ruins the beauty of our 

public lands and can hurt wildlife.

Explore the Outdoors Safely

Before taking off on any public lands adventure, take a full bottle of water with you. Your 

adventure may be hot and dry, and many wilderness areas do not have drinking water 

for people. Bring a snack, too, as well as a hat, jacket, and (depending on the season) 

sunscreen. Watch your footing. Rocky trails are common in Sally Sage-Grouse’s world—

and so are rattlesnakes!

Use the Quick Response Code shown here to visit the BLM Idaho website 

and learn more fun facts about Idaho’s special places. You can see other 

Junior Explorer activity books on this website, too!
Answer Key 27

Page 5, Find the Chicks (left); Build a Nest (above)

Page 9, Search for Food

Page 11, Stay Safe from Predators 

Page 12, Read a Map Before You 

Migrate

1. Boise; 2. Twin Falls, 35 miles; 

3. Snake River Plain; 4. Craters of the 

Moon National Monument; 

5. Bitterroot Mountain Range; 

6. Bruneau River; 7. 20 days

1 2

3

4 5

6

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9 10 11

12

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E

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D

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G

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Page 15, Take Time To Discover 

Page 22, Glossary Crossword What’s in the Photos

Bye!

Yikes!
Directions: Copy the opposite page showing the jigsaw puzzle. Don’t cut out the pieces yet! Glue or paste the page on a piece 

of cardboard, and let it dry. Now ask an adult to cut out the jigsaw puzzle pieces. Have fun fitting the pieces together to make this 

picture of a female sage-grouse! 

You can use the photo on this page to help you figure out what piece goes where. When you’re finished, store the jigsaw in a box 

or bag for the next time you want to play! 

Photo by Derek Oyen (http//www.flickr.com/photos/33752469@N00)
Photo by Derek Oyen (http//www.flickr.com/photos/33752469@N00)