Do Sage-grouse Have a Future in Canada? Population Dynamics and Management Suggestions

Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined by 45 to 80% throughout their North American range. The species currently exists at the northern fringe of their range, on the mixed grass prairie of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. The population decline in Canada has been the most severe, with declines ranging from 66 to 92% over the last 30 years. There has been relatively little research in Canada to address the population decline. I used radio telemetry to monitor SageGrouse survival and measure productivity in southeastern Alberta in 1998 and 1999. Survival of both females and males was low. Reproductive effort was high, with all females attempting to nest and clutch size within the expected range. Nest success was also within the normal range, and 55% of all females were successful breeders. Chick survival was only 18%; less than half of that required for stable and slightly declining populations. I used these data to develop a preliminary population model to predict the long-term viability of Sage-Grouse in Canada. My model predicts that by 2018, the Canadian SageGrouse population will decline to fewer than 190 birds, which may not be sufficient to maintain a viable population. I quantified habitat characteristics to understand how habitat variables might influence these parameters, and thus, the population decline. Sage-Grouse selected nest areas based on sagebrush stands that provided greater amounts of tall cover, specifically sagebrush, with nests located under the tallest and densest sagebrush within these stands. Brood rearing sites were also selected for based on sagebrush characteristics, but not based on forb availability, as has been demonstrated for other populations. High quality mesic areas containing lush forbs important in the diet of chicks are limiting in southern Alberta. Management practices need to focus on the fact that small fluctuations in chick survival can have profound implications on population trends. Efforts should be made to maintain, or preferably, enhance suitable breeding and nesting habitat, while attempting to enhance brood rearing habitat through the protection and creation of mesic habitats with high forb availability.