The greater sage-grouse, once an abundant native of western Colorado, is now at the forefront of a fierce battle to protect America’s remaining sagebrush ecosystems. Its habitat, the vast expanse of open land known as the Sagebrush Sea, which supports more than 70 mammal species and 100 different bird species, has been rapidly consumed over the past century by urban development, agricultural conversion, and oil and gas drilling.  As a result, the greater sage-grouse, which once ranged across millions of acres of the American West, is estimated to have lost more than 90 percent of its original population. 

Several trends, most notably, the oil and gas drilling boom in our region, are increasingly affecting sage-grouse habitat and their leks, where they are particularly sensitive to disturbance.  This year, Center for Native Ecosystems has significantly expanded our ongoing campaign to protect the greater sage-grouse.

• We continue to work with a large coalition of conservationists across the West in ongoing efforts to see the greater sage-grouse protected under the Endangered Species Act.
• In the absence of meaningful federal protection, western states are developing their own plans to preserve sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat. We are participating in several state planning processes to ensure that plans to preserve sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat have the best chance of being effective and fully implemented.  We are currently working to influence the content of Colorado’s statewide plan to make sure it is a strong as it needs to be.  While the current draft of the plan makes some big strides, it will not be enough to conserve the sage-grouse if it is not rigorously implemented.
• We are also working with the scientific community to ensure that the latest research is used in planning efforts.  New evidence about the impact of the disturbance and habitat loss from oil and gas drilling is being uncovered every day.  Scientists recently found that in fields where coalbed methane was being extracted, sage-grouse populations crashed by as much as 82 percent.  The sage-grouse were most easily disturbed on their leks and in their winter habitat, both types of habitat that are increasingly rare.  This new science highlights how inadequate many of the current protections required of oil and gas drillers are for protecting sage-grouse populations.  
• Finally, we protest oil and gas leasing on public land when it affects sensitive habitat for imperiled species like the greater sage-grouse, and those protests are increasingly being heeded.  In August, the Utah Bureau of Land Management deferred more than 38,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat from their August lease sale after receiving a written protest from Center for Native Ecosystems and coalition partners.  This points toward a more thoughtful leasing process for the land parcels that contain imperiled sage-grouse habitat.

• Leks, the greater sage-grouse mating grounds, usually occur on bare, raised patches in the Sagebrush Sea.
• Mating season typically begins in March and runs through May. Activity usually starts before dawn.
• The swishing and booming sounds that accompany the display of two large yellowish skin sacs that emerge from the white breast of male sage-grouse can be heard from a distance of 1.5 km away.
• To avoid disturbing or startling the sage-grouse, arrive well before dawn and leave only after all of the sage-grouse leave, wear natural colors, avoid scented lotions or perfumes, and maintain a respectful distance.