the OREGON SAGE-GROUSE ACTION PLAN An Effort of the SageCon Partnership Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Cover design by Robert Swingle, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cover images by Jeremy Roberts, Conservation Media. Recommended citation: Sage-Grouse Conservation Partnership. 2015. The Oregon Sage-Grouse Action Plan. Governor’s Natural Resources Office. Salem, Oregon. http://oregonexplorer.info/content/oregon-sage-grouse- action-plan?topic=203&ptopic=179. Print version PDF available at http://oe.oregonexplorer.info/ExternalContent/SageCon/OregonSageGrouseActionPlan-Print.pdf Authors Lead Content Developers Brett Brownscombe, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - Editor Theresa Burcsu, Institute for Natural Resources - Editor Jackie Cupples, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - Editor Richard Whitman, Governor’s Natural Resources Office - Final Proof Review Jamie Damon, Institute for Natural Resources - Final Proof Review Mary Finnerty, The Nature Conservancy - Cartographer Sara O'Brien, Willamette Partnership - Consistency Editor Linda Rahm-Crites, The Nature Conservancy - Copy Editor Robert Swingle, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - Graphics and Cover Lindsey Wise, Institute for Natural Resources - Formatting Editor Contributing Authors Julia Babcock, Oregon Solutions Jay Kerby, The Nature Conservancy Chad Boyd, Agricultural Research Service Cathy Macdonald, The Nature Conservancy Brett Brownscombe, Oregon Department of Ken Mayer, Western Association of Fish and Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Agencies David Budeau, Oregon Department of Fish and Holly Michael, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Theresa Burcsu, Institute for Natural Resources Sara O'Brien, Willamette Partnership Jackie Cupples, Oregon Department of Fish and Eric Rickerson, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Jamie Damon, Institute for Natural Resources Tony Svejcar, Agricultural Research Service Dawn Davis, Oregon Department of Fish and Richard Whitman, Governor’s Natural Wildlife Resources Office Jon Jinings, Department of Land Conservation and Development Technical Contributors Joe Bernert, Institute for Natural Resources Jimmy Kagan, Institute for Natural Resources Jon Bowers, Oregon Department of Fish and Jeff Kern, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Steve Buttrick, The Nature Conservancy Sara O’Brien, Willamette Partnership Phil Carver, Oregon Department of Energy Stephanie Page, Oregon Department of Todd Cornett, Oregon Department of Energy Agriculture Dawn Davis, Oregon Department of Fish and Brian Pew, Oregon Department of Forestry Wildlife Arthur Rodriguez, Oregon Department of Fish Gordon Foster, Oregon Department of Forestry and Wildlife Craig Goodell, Bureau of Land Management Zola Ryan, Natural Resources Conservation Aaron Jones, The Nature Conservancy Service Authors xi Michael Schindel, The Nature Conservancy Diana Walker, Oregon Department of Marty Suter-Goold, Harney Soil and Water Agriculture Conservation District Lead Reviewers Tim Butler, Oregon Department of Agriculture Cathy Macdonald, The Nature Conservancy Chip Dale, Oregon Department of Fish and Jeremy Maestas, Natural Resources Wildlife Conservation Service Stacy Davies, Roaring Springs Ranch Mary Anne Nash, Oregon Farm Bureau Megan Decker, Renewable Northwest Project Mark Nystrom, Association of Oregon Counties Jeff Everett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Zola Ryan, Natural Resources Conservation Glenn Frederick, Bureau of Land Management Service Brian Fritz, Pacificorp Lynn Sharp, Renewable Northwest Project Shauna Ginger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Andrew Shields, Roaring Springs Ranch Judge Steve Grasty, Harney County Marty Suter-Goold, Harney Soil and Water Christian Jilek, Oregon Department of Conservation District Transportation Joan Suther, Bureau of Land Management Commissioner Ken Kestner, Lake County Bruce Taylor, Oregon Joint Habitat Venture Meta Loftsgaarden, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Authors xii Acknowledgements Special Thanks for Partnership Efforts The Sage Grouse Conservation Partnership has sustained through good faith efforts to come to the table, exchange information, share resources, build relationships, and problem solve collaboratively. Thank you to all of the SageCon partners and their staff who contributed to the many hours of planning, traveling, conference calls, meetings, presentations, reporting, discussions, field work, tours, technical analyses, and expertise that went into developing the Action Plan and subsequent investments and resources to secure the health and long-term viability of sage-grouse and the surrounding communities. Special thanks to the conveners and staff of the Sage Grouse Conservation Partnership: Richard Whitman and staff, Governor’s Natural Resources Office - Convener Mike Haske and staff, Bureau of Land Management - Convener Ron Alvarado and staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service - Convener Jamie Damon, Institute for Natural Resources - SageCon Partnership Project Manager Julia Babcock, Oregon Solutions - SageCon Partnership Administrative Lead Theresa Burcsu, Institute for Natural Resources – SageCon Partnership Technical Lead For additional insights, contributions, and staffing, many thanks to: Pete Dalke, Oregon Solutions Tom Makowski, Natural Resources Conservation Garth Fuller, The Nature Conservancy Service Shauna Ginger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ken Mayer, Western Association of Fish and Paul Henson, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Agencies Margi Hoffman, Governor’s Office Sara O'Brien, Willamette Partnership Jon Jinings, Department of Land Conservation Turner Odell, Oregon Consensus and Development Bruce Taylor, Oregon Joint Habitat Venture Cathy Macdonald, The Nature Conservancy Richard Whitman, Governor’s Office A full list of participants in the Sage Grouse Conservation Partnership by affiliation is in Appendix 1 Acknowledgements xiii Table of Contents Letter to Readers .................................................................................................................... i Executive Order .................................................................................................................... iii Authors ................................................................................................................................ xi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. xiii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. xv List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xviii List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... xix List of Feature Boxes ............................................................................................................ xx List of Appendices ............................................................................................................... xxi List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................. xxii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 1 Section I: A Strategy for Action – Summary and First Steps ..................................................... 5 i. A Call to Action ..................................................................................................................... 5 ii. Implementation and Coordination—Partnerships That Work ............................................ 7 iii. An Ecological Approach—Healthy Landscapes and Wildlife Through Strategic Efforts ...... 9 a. Population and Habitat Objectives ................................................................................ 10 b. Core Area Approach ....................................................................................................... 11 c. Tools for Strategic Investment ....................................................................................... 12 iv. Assessing and Addressing Threats to Sage-Grouse ........................................................... 12 v. First Steps and Next Steps ................................................................................................. 14 vi. Literature Cited .................................................................................................................. 15 Section II: Implementation and Coordination – Partnerships that Work ............................... 17 i. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 17 ii. New Conservation Measures ............................................................................................. 19 a. Land-Use Rules and LCDC Rulemaking ........................................................................... 20 b. ODFW Mitigation Policy and FWC Rulemaking .............................................................. 21 c. Governor’s Executive Order ........................................................................................... 22 d. Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs) and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs) ......................................................................................................