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San Juan County, Utah, is home to one of the few remaining populations of the Gunnison Sage Grouse. This grouse is a candidate for listing as a threatened and endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are fewer than 4,500 of these birds left in the wild.
In 1972, Gunnison Sage Grouse numbers in San Juan County were estimated at between 585 and 1,000 birds, and birds were observed strutting on six different lek sites. (A lek is where male grouses congregate and make courtship displays in the hope of attracting the attention of females). In 2004, Gunnison Sage Grouse numbers were estimated at fewer than 100 birds, and were observed on only two lek sites in the county.
Wildlife officials say that one of the major reasons for the declining population of the Gunnison Sage Grouse has been the fragmentation of critical habitat necessary for their survival. How could critical habitat that has been fragmented by agricultural and other activities be tied together again? The answer has been the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
In March 1997, a CRP sign-up was announced by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in San Juan County. An area of the county that includes habitat critical to the Gunnison Sage Grouse was designated as a wildlife priority area. This allowed non highly erodible cropland to be eligible to participate in the CRP if it was located in the wildlife priority area. In the end, all of the contracts offered for the CRP in the wildlife priority area were accepted and approved. Cover established on these CRP contracts has helped fill in and tie together critical Gunnison Sage Grouse habitat. There are approximately 17,705 CRP acres located in the critical habitat area currently used by the remaining Gunnison Sage Grouse.
Currently, about 90 percent of the critical habitat used by the remaining population of Gunnison Sage Grouse is located on private land, much of that being CRP acreage. Cover established on the CRP included alfalfa and sainfoin. These plants are an excellent source of food for the Gunnison Sage Grouse. The CRP also provides excellent brood rearing areas for newly hatched chicks.
The main core population of the Gunnison Sage Grouse in San Juan County have adopted a piece of CRP acreage as their lek or strutting area. Between April 1 and May 1 of each year, male grouse come to this area and strut their stuff trying to attract attentive females.
Though Gunnison Sage Grouse numbers are low, they seem to have stabilized. Wildlife officials are optimistic that bird numbers will increase over the next few years as we move out of a five year drought cycle. They have also indicated the CRP has and will play a major role in the future survival of the Gunnison Sage Grouse.
FSA in San Juan County has been an active participant on the San Juan County Gunnison Sage Grouse Working Group formed in 1996.
Gunnison Sage Grouse on CRP - Photo by Karla Eberling.
Gunnison Sage Grouse male strutting on CRP. - Photo by Karla Eberling.
Alfalfa, left, and Sainfoin, right, are an excellent source of forage for the Gunnison Sage Grouse.
Brood rearing habitat on CRP.
Lek or strutting area located on CRP.
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