On Jan. 26, a coalition of conservation groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Gunnison sage grouse, the less numerous of two grouse species in the American West, asking that it be listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Mark Salvo of American Lands Alliance, one of the groups filing the petition, agrees. The existing populations are so small we had to point out they weren't dust spots on the map we sent to the Service. Photo by Louis Swift Sage grouse need every part of the Great Basin sagebrush steppe and grasslands in which they live. Wet meadows in riparian areas provide forbs, plants that are crucial to species nutrition.
Tall grass provides protective cover for nests.
Sagebrush provides both food and shelter. Although not migratory birds, sage grouse may use as much as 800 square miles to find what they need for healthy survival. It's only recently that scientists and land managers have recognized this, and some fear it may be too late for certain populations. The Gunnison sage grouse was once found in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and probably Kansas. Today only small, fragmented populations remain in Colorado and Utah.