Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Symposium Proceedings; 2001 June 4–7, Boise, ID
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United States Department Sage-Grouse Habitat of Agriculture Forest Service Restoration Symposium Rocky Mountain Research Station Proceedings Proceedings RMRS-P-38 June 4–7 2001, Boise, ID November 2005 Abstract _______________________________________________ Shaw, Nancy L.; Pellant, Mike; Monsen, Stephen B., comps. 2005. Sage-grouse habitat restoration symposium proceedings; 2001 June 4–7, Boise, ID. Proc. RMRS-P-38. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 130 p. Declines in habitat of greater sage-grouse and Gunnison sage-grouse across the western United States are related to degradation, loss, and fragmentation of sagebrush ecosystems resulting from development of agricultural lands, grazing practices, changes in wildfire regimes, increased spread of invasive species, gas and oil development, and other human impacts. These losses are focusing management efforts on passive and active approaches to maintaining and restoring sagebrush rangelands. This series of 14 papers summarizes current knowledge and research gaps in sagebrush taxonomy and ecology, seasonal sage-grouse habitat requirements, approaches to community and landscape restoration, and currently available plant materials and revegetation technology to provide a basis for designing and implementing effective management prescriptions. Keywords: Centrocercus urophasianus, Artemisia tridentata, big sagebrush, native species, biodiversity, ecology, revegetation, rehabilitation, shrub steppe Acknowledgments _________________________________________________________________________________ We wish to thank the many individuals and organizations who participated in planning and conducting the symposium, field tour, and equipment demonstration day. Mike Rath assisted in organizing and coordinating all phases of the symposium and served as overall meeting moderator. John Kinney provided logistical support in planning and conducting the symposium and field tours. Marcia Wicklow-Howard of the Boise State University Biology Department served as liaison with the University. Antonia Hedrick and Kim Buxton of the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office designed and maintained the meeting webpage, prepared symposium brochure graphics, and provided mailing lists. Former Governor Cecil Andrus presented the plenary address for the symposium. Alan Sands, Dean Mitchell, and John Connelly moderated the sessions; Barry Rose facilitated the discussion on restoring sagebrush communities. Stacey Daniel of Meetings, Inc., managed registration with assistance from Jan Gurr, Stephanie Carlson, and Danielle Scholten of the Rocky Mountain Research Station and Jamie Jukar of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Taylor Cox, representing the Idaho Section of the Society for Range Management served as treasurer. Dale Turnipseed; Kelly Memmott, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Joe Russell, USDI Bureau of Land Management, Shoshone District; and Scott Walker, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources assisted in organizing the equipment demonstration program. The Boise State University Student Union staff provided facility support. Finally, we wish to thank Ann Debolt and the Rocky Mountain Research Station Publication Services, in particular Louise Kingsbury and Loa Collins, for technical editing and prepara- tion of this proceedings. The Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project provided funding for reprinting this document. Nancy L. Shaw Stephen B. Monsen Mike Pellant Cover photo by Bill Mullins, Boise, ID. Shrub illustrations found throughout this publication are from Range Plant Handbook. 1937. Washington, DC: U.S. De- partment of Agriculture, Forest Service. Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Symposium Proceedings June 4–7 2001, Boise, ID Compilers Nancy L. Shaw, Research Botanist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, ID. Mike Pellant, Great Basin Restoration Initiative Coordinator, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Boise, ID. Stephen B. Monsen (retired), Botanist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Shrub Sciences Laboratory, Provo, UT. Publisher’s note: Papers in this report were reviewed by the compilers. Rocky Mountain Research Station Publishing Services reviewed papers for format and style. Authors are responsible for content. Special Acknowledgment Organization of this symposium, like many before it, was guided by the insight and enthusiasm of our colleague, Steve Monsen, who retired in 2002. The workshops, training sessions, and symposia he conducted during his career provided hundreds of scientists and managers with opportunities to interact and discuss local and regional management concerns, recent research results, and, most importantly, to generate new ideas. Although he has not yet learned to slow down and take it easy, we wish him well in his retirement. Nancy Shaw Mike Pellant Sponsors USDI Bureau of Land Management USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Boise State University Idaho Department of Fish and Game Society for Range Management, Idaho Section Colorado Division of Wildlife The Nature Conservancy Nevada Division of Wildlife North American Grouse Partnership Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Society for Ecological Restoration, Northwest Chapter USDA Forest Service, Regions 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Snake River Basin Office Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Line drawing of sage-grouse was provided by USDI-BLM Idaho State Office. Breaks DuPont Vegetation Management Granite Seed Company Pawnee Buttes Seed, Inc. Rainier Seed, Inc. Stevenson Intermountain Seed Company, Inc. Line drawing of sagebrush was provided by USDI-BLM Idaho State Office. Contents Page Nancy L. Shaw Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Symposium . 1 Mike Pellant Stephen B. Monsen Roger Rosentreter Sagebrush Identification, Ecology, and Palatability Relative to Sage-Grouse . 3 Sherel Goodrich Classification and Capabilities of Woody Sagebrush Communities of Western North America With Emphasis on Sage-Grouse Habitat . 17 Clait E. Braun Seasonal Habitat Requirements for Sage-Grouse: Spring, Summer, John W. Connelly Fall, and Winter . 38 Michael A. Schroeder Bruce A. Roundy Plant Succession and Approaches to Community Restoration. 43 Thomas A. Jones Status and Use of Important Native Grasses Adapted to Steven R. Larson Sagebrush Communities . 49 Scott C. Walker Current and Potential Use of Broadleaf Herbs for Reestablishing Nancy L. Shaw Native Communities . 56 Michael J. Wisdom Landscape Restoration for Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for Mary M. Rowland Multiscale Planning and Monitoring . 62 Miles A. Hemstrom Barbara C. Wales John A. Fairchild Big Sagebrush Response to One-Way and Two-Way Chaining in James N. Davis Southeastern Utah . 70 Jack D. Brotherson Scott M. Lambert Seeding Considerations in Restoring Big Sagebrush Habitat . 75 Mike Pellant Strategies to Enhance Plant Structure and Diversity in Crested Cindy R. Lysne Wheatgrass Seedings . 81 Cindy R. Lysne Restoring Wyoming Big Sagebrush . 93 Nancy L. Shaw Reseeding Big Sagebrush: Techniques and Issues . 99 Ann M. DeBolt Roger Rosentreter Carl L. Wambolt Sagebrush-Ungulate Relationships on the Northern Yellowstone Winter Range . 109 Nancy Hampton Insects of the Idaho National Laboratory: A Compilation and Review . 116 Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Symposium Nancy L. Shaw Mike Pellant Stephen B. Monsen Sage-grouse (greater sage-grouse [Centrocercus uropha- sagebrush communities, altering management to encourage sianus] and Gunnison sage-grouse [C. minimus]) were once passive restoration of at-risk areas, and actively restoring abundant over a range that approximated that of sagebrush degraded lands incapable of recovering without interven- (Artemisia spp.) in 16 Western States and three Canadian tion presents a major challenge for Western land managers. Provinces (Aldrich 1963; Connelly and others 2000; Johnsgard This symposium was organized to provide an overview of 1973). Although their specific requirements vary seasonally science and technology addressing this issue. and over their life cycle, sage-grouse are almost completely Invited papers discussed sagebrush systematics, com- reliant upon sagebrush habitats (Connelly and others 2000; munities, ecology, and distribution (Goodrich, this proceed- Crawford and others 2004). Some populations are migratory ings; Rosentreter; this proceedings). Habitat requirements and require ranges exceeding 1,300 km2 (Wambolt and and movements of sage-grouse were described to indicate others 2002). specific seasonal requirements and to demonstrate the need Sage-grouse are now among the 338 or more species whose for planning restoration at the landscape level (Braun and populations are considered at risk for persistence (Wisdom Connelly, this proceedings; Wisdom and others, this pro- and others 2003) and are dependent on sagebrush ecosys- ceedings). Other papers examined the principles of ecologi- tems. Connelly and Braun (1997) and Braun (1998) esti- cal restoration (Roundy, this proceedings) and native plant mated that since European settlement, the distribution of materials available for use on degraded sagebrush range- sage-grouse has been reduced by 50 percent, and breeding lands (Jones and Larson, this proceedings; Walker and populations have declined by 17 to 45 percent since 1985. Shaw, this proceedings). Additional papers described tech- Four petitions for subspecies or populations