Greater Sage-Grouse

Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range—which stretches across 11 western states and reaches into Canada—mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird’s population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.

Steven T. Knick is Supervisory Research Ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. John W. Connelly is Principal Wildlife Research Biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Preface / xi
Steven T. Knick and John W. Connelly

Foreword / xiii
John C. Freemuth

Greater Sage-Grouse and Sagebrush:
An Introduction to the Landscape / 1
Steven T. Knick and John W. Connelly

Part I • Management and Conservation Status
1 • HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT, PRINCIPAL FEDERAL
LEGISLATION, AND CURRENT MANAGEMENT
OF SAGEBRUSH HABITATS: IMPLICATIONS FOR
CONSERVATION / 13
Steven T. Knick

2 • THE LEGAL STATUS OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE:
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF PLANNING
EFFORTS / 33
San J. Stiver

Part II • Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse
3 • CHARACTERISTICS AND DYNAMICS OF GREATER
SAGE-GROUSE POPULATIONS / 53
John W. Connelly, Christian A. Hagen,
and Michael A. Schroeder

4 • CHARACTERISTICS OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE
HABITATS: A LANDSCAPE SPECIES AT MICROAND
MACROSCALES / 69
John W. Connelly, E. Thomas Rinkes,
and Clait E. Braun

5 • MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO THE BIOLOGY OF
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE / 85
Sara J. Oyler-McCance and
Thomas W. Quinn

6 • PREDATION ON GREATER SAGE-GROUSE: FACTS,
PROCESS, AND EFFECTS / 95
Christian A. Hagen

7 • HARVEST MANAGEMENT FOR GREATER SAGEGROUSE:
A CHANGING PARADIGM FOR
GAME BIRD MANAGEMENT / 101
Kerry P. Reese and John W. Connelly

8 • PARASITES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE / 113
Thomas J. Christiansen and
Cynthia M. Tate

9 • WEST NILE VIRUS ECOLOGY IN SAGEBRUSH
HABITAT AND IMPACTS ON GREATER SAGEGROUSE
POPULATIONS / 127
Brett L. Walker and David E. Naugle

Part III • Ecology of Sagebrush
10 • CHARACTERISTICS OF SAGEBRUSH HABITATS
AND LIMITATIONS TO LONG-TERM
CONSERVATION / 145
Richard F. Miller, Steven T. Knick,
David A. Pyke, Cara W. Meinke,
Steven E. Hanser, Michael J. Wisdom,
and Ann L. Hild

11 • PRE–EURO-AMERICAN AND RECENT FIRE IN
SAGEBRUSH ECOSYSTEMS / 185
William L. Baker

12 • ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCE AND PATHWAYS OF LAND
USE IN SAGEBRUSH / 203
Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser,
Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke,
Michael J. Wisdom, Sean P. Finn,
E. Thomas Rinkes, and Charles J. Henny

13 • INFLUENCES OF THE HUMAN FOOTPRINT ON
SAGEBRUSH LANDSCAPE PATTERNS: IMPLICATIONS
FOR SAGE-GROUSE CONSERVATION / 253
Matthias Leu and Steven E. Hanser

14 • INFLUENCES OF FREE-ROAMING EQUIDS ON
SAGEBRUSH ECOSYSTEMS, WITH A FOCUS ON
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE / 273
Erik A. Beever and Cameron L. Aldridge

Part IV • Population Trends and
Habitat Relationships
15 • GREATER SAGE-GROUSE POPULATION DYNAMICS
AND PROBABILITY OF PERSISTENCE / 293
Edward O. Garton, John W. Connelly,
Jon S. Horne, Christian A. Hagen,
Ann Moser, and Michael A. Schroeder

16 • CONNECTING PATTERN AND PROCESS IN
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE POPULATIONS AND
SAGEBRUSH LANDSCAPES / 383
Steven T. Knick and Steven E. Hanser

17 • INFLUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND
ANTHROPOGENIC FEATURES ON GREATER
SAGE-GROUSE POPULATIONS, 1997–2007 / 407
Douglas H. Johnson, Matthew J. Holloran,
John W. Connelly, Steven E. Hanser,
Courtney L. Amundson, and
Steven T. Knick

18 • FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EXTIRPATION OF
SAGE-GROUSE / 451
Michael J. Wisdom, Cara W. Meinke,
Steven T. Knick, and Michael A. Schroeder

Part V • Conservation and Management
19 • GREATER SAGE-GROUSE AS AN UMBRELLA SPECIES
FOR SHRUBLAND PASSERINE BIRDS: A MULTISCALE
ASSESSMENT / 475
Steven E. Hanser and Steven T. Knick

20 • ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND GREATER
SAGE-GROUSE / 489
David E. Naugle, Kevin E. Doherty,
Brett L. Walker, Matthew J. Holloran,
and Holly E. Copeland

21 • ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION
TRADEOFFS: SYSTEMATIC PLANNING FOR GREATER
SAGE-GROUSE IN THEIR EASTERN RANGE / 505
Kevin E. Doherty, David E. Naugle,
Holly E. Copeland, Amy Pocewicz, and
Joseph M. Kiesecker

22 • RESPONSE OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE TO
THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM IN
WASHINGTON STATE / 517
Michael A. Schroeder and
W. Matthew Vander Haegen

23 • RESTORING AND REHABILITATING
SAGEBRUSH HABITATS / 531
David A. Pyke

24 • CONSERVATION OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE:
A SYNTHESIS OF CURRENT TRENDS AND FUTURE
MANAGEMENT / 549
John W. Connelly, Steven T. Knick,
Clait E. Braun, William L. Baker,
Erik A. Beever, Thomas J. Christiansen,
Kevin E. Doherty, Edward O. Garton,
Steven E. Hanser, Douglas H. Johnson,
Matthias Leu, Richard F. Miller,
David E. Naugle, Sara J. Oyler-McCance,
David A. Pyke, Kerry P. Reese,
Michael A. Schroeder, San J. Stiver,
Brett L. Walker, and Michael J. Wisdom

Literature Cited / 565
Index / 625
Series Titles / 645