December 2024 - 11
NEWS
Sage-grouse lek attendance increased in Wyoming about 33 percent compared to last year. (Photo by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
Sage-grouse lek attendance
increases in Wyoming
CHEYENNE - Sage-grouse lek attendance
increased in 2024 according to data
from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
lek counts this spring. Lek attendance
increased 33 percent compared to last year.
The appearance of more birds at leks is thought
to be due to the natural population cycles of
sage-grouse combined with good moisture
that benefited sagebrush habitat.
This spring, officials observed an average of
28 male sage-grouse per active lek. More than
29,000 male sage-grouse were observed on 90
percent of known, occupied leks - an increase
from last year when persistent winter conditions
hampered monitoring efforts. Annual
observations are carried out by Game and Fish,
federal partners, consultants and volunteers.
Leks are observed from a distance from both
the ground and air during their spring mating.
Habitat is key to the sustainability of sagegrouse
populations.
" Sage-grouse are a sagebrush obligate species
and could not survive without intact
sagebrush ecosystems, " said Nyssa Whitford,
Game and Fish sage-grouse/sagebrush
biologist. " Well-timed moisture and available
habitat are paramount to robust sage-grouse
populations. "
Wyoming continues to invest significantly
in efforts to study sage-grouse populations
and conserve sage-grouse habitat. Each year,
the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission
contributes more than $500,000 to this effort,
which is administered via local sage-grouse
working groups.
Game and Fish also monitors the percentage
of known active and inactive leks throughout
Wyoming. A lek is considered inactive
if no birds or signs of strutting are observed
under ideal conditions during mating season.
The percentage of active leks remains steady
at 80 percent.
Game and Fish data on sage-grouse lek
attendance goes back nearly six decades, and
the cyclical nature of the bird's population
is evident.
" Sage-grouse populations rise and fall, "
Whitford said. " Studies indicate Wyoming's
population cycles every seven to nine years.
So, we were pleased to see an increase this
year and anticipate continued increases or a
leveling off in the next year or two, as we reach
the peak of their population cycle. "
The cause of these well-established cycles
is not understood, but it is thought to be
influenced by weather and climate, which
impact the availability of food and cover in
the sagebrush ecosystem.
Game and Fish manages sage-grouse while
considering the natural rises and falls of populations
over time. Part of that management
includes a conservative hunting season that
undergoes thorough review annually and a
process for the public to provide comments.
There have been some changes to sage-grouse
hunting seasons in recent years, including
closures in northeast Wyoming.
- Breanna Ball, WGFD
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SAGE-GROUSE DATA
IN WYOMING.
Wyoming Wildlife | 11
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/wyoming-wildlife/sage-grouse-management/sage-grouse-data
December 2024
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