Keying In On Big Sagebrush

sified due to national concern about wildlife associated with them. Sage-grouse and other native fauna closely associated with sagebrush plant communities are thought to be declining in many areas. Several range-wide petitions have been filed for listing the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. The black-tailed prairie dog, often associated with sagebrush-grass types, and the sagebrush dependent pygmy rabbit are also said to be in decline. Although the landscapes of the western United States are commonly typified by diverse sagebrush dominated floras, there is a long standing attitude in the West that takes sagebrush plant communities for granted or considers them little more than a hindrance to agricultural uses. This is especially true of big sagebrush, the most common and widely distributed sage species in the western United States. Slowly this attitude is changing to one of concern for the conservation of sagebrush plant communities. Over the years, those interested in the management of sagebrush habitats have asked us for tools they can use in the field to better identify the diverse sagebrush taxa (4,5). This paper provides an aid in the form of photographs and descriptions for identifying four generally accepted subspecies of big sagebrush. We chose to discuss big sagebrush as it is the species most often at the center of controversy due to frequent proposals to kill it by burning, spraying, or plowing. Our purpose is to aid the field investigator with identification. We also contrast the ecological characteristics of the big sagebrush subspecies. Our approach closely follows Wambolt (3), Wambolt and Frisina (4), and Wambolt and Frisina (5). RANGELANDS 26 (1) 12