I hope everyone will enjoy this informative article on the Gunnison sage- written by Saraiya Ruano. Saraiya is a freshman at Colorado College majoring in biology. Some time ago she contacted us wondering if we could help her with a small donation, so she could attend Camp Yosemite run by Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. In return, we asked if she would write a small article. I think our contribution was well spent. Besides writing, Saraiya is an artist and plays classical and Native American flute. Bill McGurn – AVAS, Pres.

From An Opened Blind By Saraiya Ruano

Pitch black, bitter coldness, coughing, the shuffling of feet, an air of anticipation. Finally, a voice from the darkness announces “I am opening the blinds now.” I look up as Dr. Pat Magee begins to lift the windows. It is almost just as dark outside, save the dim light from the moon and the slowly rising sun. I squint into the darkness, trying to differentiate between sagebrush and grouse. Suddenly one of the bushes I am peering at begins to scurry across the snow. “I see one!” I whisper excitedly. As the sun climbs higher, more and more grouse become visible—five, ten, then twenty. The males are strutting about, dancing, using their air sacs to make watery popping sounds. They bob about, thrusting their heads forward and swinging their ponytail-like filoplumes over their heads. For the most part, the females seem uninterested and continue foraging in grassy patches between the fields of snow. Every year the Gunnison Sage-grouse make their pilgrimage to the Waunita Lek dancing grounds, where they attempt to attract a female. The females choose which males to mate with, and 90% of the males will not be chosen. As a result, the genes of Gunnison Sage-grouse are unstable and birth defects are common. They become more susceptible to disease, such as West Nile Virus. Of the ten-thousand species in the world, only 5% share this unique lekking system. To further define this bird’s uniqueness, the very life of the sage-grouse depends upon sagebrush. They consume sage, hide in sage, and nest near sage. Humans have long considered sagebrush a desolate wasteland unworthy of protection. As early as the pioneers, man began tearing up the sage lands for cattle grazing, oil and gas drilling, mining, road building and more. The grouse return to the same lekking sites every year, even for a few years after it has been desecrated. The creation of Blue Mesa Reservoir flooded a traditional dancing ground. The year after, grouse returned to find their lek covered in ice. Some of the returned in successive years, dancing on the ice, but it was not long before the birds disappeared. The creation of roads, dumps, and cities fragment the sagebrush habitat. Gunnison sage-grouse populations have become isolated, further weakening their gene pool and making them more susceptible to disease. The erection of power lines and the creation of dumps attract predators like hawks and ravens. Much of this human activity persists today. Since the year 1950, the bird has declined 60-90%. Historically, the bird existed in every county of western Colorado and in five states. Now the bird is strictly confined to certain spots in Utah and Colorado. Because of their delicate status, drought and sterility can easily wipe out a population in a year. Several key features set the Gunnison Sage-grouse apart from its counterpart, the Greater Sage-grouse. Clait Braun, the first to notice the grouse’s uniqueness, had been studying the grouse as early as the late 1960s. His graduate students, Jerry Hupp and Jessica Young, would later shed light on the plumage and behavioral differences. Gunnison Sage- grouse sport longer filoplumes, which they toss vigorously over their heads in display. Known to perform less displays per minute, Gunnison Sage-grouse pop their air sacs nine times instead of two, thus creating a different sound than the Greater. Jessica Young found that Gunnison Sage- grouse females avoided playbacks of the male Greater Sage-grouse courtship vocalizations. Sara Oyler-McCance later proved the two species to differ genetically. In 2000 the American Ornithological Union recognized the Gunnison and Greater Sage-grouse as separate species. To protect this unique species, and to protect fast disappearing sagebrush habitat, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is working side by side with researchers to understand the needs of the Gunnison Sage-grouse. Preservation of sagebrush is critical to the grouse’s sustainability, especially strips of sagebrush that connect populations. Otherwise, populations become further isolated. In some places, grouse from other populations are being translocated to ensure a mix of genes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not list the grouse as an , even though The World Conservation Union recognizes the grouse as a globally endangered species and the Audubon Society named the Gunnison Sage-grouse as one of the ten most endangered birds of North America. As Dr. Magee stated in an interview by e-mail “While these birds cling to survival, many conservationists argue about how much protection they deserve or what to do on the ground. The clock is ticking….” The decline of the Gunnison Sage-grouse poses a problem not uncommon in the arena of conservation. Often, protection of a species involves cooperation with farmers, landowners, and even politicians. Plainly put, the conservation of our planet relies upon setting aside personal motives and realizing we hold in our hands the future Earth’s precious wildlife. Today we can still view their amazing annual dance, but without careful attention the sun may soon set for the Gunnison Sage- grouse and the blind be shut forever.

Bibliography

Clifford, Hal. "Last dance for the sage grouse?." High Country News 4 February 2002. High Country News. 1 Jul 2008.

Magee, Patrick. Interview by E-mail. 3 July 2008.

Oyler-McCance, Sara , Juduth St. John, Sanja Taylor, Anthony Apa, and Thomas Quinn. "Population Genetics of Gunnison Sage-grouse: Implications for Management ." Journal of Wildlife Management 69(2005): 630-637.

Young, Jessica. "The Gunnison Grouse." Western State College of Colorado October 2006. Western State College of Colorado. 3 Jul 2008 .