STATUS REVIEW AND PETITION TO LIST THE MONO BASIN AREA SAGE GROUSE (CENTROCERCUS UROPHASIANUS) AS A DISTINCT POPULATION SEGMENT OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE AS THREATENED OR ENDANGERED UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Submitted by the STANFORD LAW SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CLINIC On behalf of THE SAGEBRUSH SEA CAMPAIGN WESTERN WATERSHEDS PROJECT CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY CHRISTIANS CARING FOR CREATION SENT CERTIFIED U.S. POSTAL MAIL November 10, 2005 Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1340 Financial Blvd, Suite 234 Reno, Nevada 89502-7147 Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605 Sacramento, California 95825 Re: Petition to List Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of the Sagebrush Sea Campaign, Western Watersheds Project, Center for Biological Diversity, and Christians Caring for Creation, the Stanford Law School Environmental Law Clinic hereby petitions to list the Mono Basin area sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a “threatened” or “endangered” distinct population segment of the greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C § 1531 et seq.) and the Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. § 551 et seq.). This petition is not intended to supplement any previous petition to list the Mono Basin area sage grouse under the ESA, but is submitted as a wholly new petition for the Mono Basin area population. Please use the following address for all correspondence regarding this petition: Deborah A. Sivas, Director Environmental Law Clinic Stanford Law School 559 Nathan Abbott Way Stanford, California 94305 (650) 723-0325 Sincerely, Deborah A. Sivas Director Status Review and Petition to List the Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species Act ● Page 2 of 87 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary....................................................................................................................4 Petitioners ....................................................................................................................................5 Status Review and Petition to List the Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse.................................6 Description of Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse.......................................................................6 Natural History of Sage Grouse..............................................................................................6 Historic Population, Geographic Distribution, Current Population and Trends of Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse.............................................................................................7 Historic Population ...........................................................................................................7 Geographic Distribution....................................................................................................9 Current Population and Trends .......................................................................................11 Other Population and Trends Estimates..........................................................................14 Population Mechanisms and Vulnerability of Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse....................16 Dangers of Small Populations.........................................................................................16 Population Bottlenecks ...................................................................................................18 The Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse is a Distinct Population Segment ................................20 The Endangered Species Act ..........................................................................................20 Distinct Population Segments.........................................................................................21 The Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse is a Discrete Population ........................................22 The Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse is a Significant Population ....................................27 Comparison to Columbia Basin DPS of Greater Sage-Grouse and Gunnison Sage-Grouse...........................................................................................31 The Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse is a Threatened or Endangered Species ......................32 Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat and Range ..................................33 Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific or Educational Purposes ......48 Effects of Disease and Predation ....................................................................................50 Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ...........................................................52 Importance of Protecting Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse....................................................65 Importance of Protecting Sagebrush Ecosystems.................................................................68 References..................................................................................................................................70 List of Tables Table 1. Differences in sagebrush elements and soils between regions populated by the Mono Basin area sage grouse and areas populated by sage grouse on the Modoc Plateau........28 Table 2. Privately owned land within the bi-state planning area................................................35 Table 3. Comparison of existing regulatory framework and Endangered Species Act protection for Mono Basin area sage grouse...............................................................................56 List of Maps Map 1. Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse Range Map...................................................................84 Map 2. Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse Extended Range Map...................................................85 Map 2. Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse Disturbance Map..........................................................86 Appendix BLM Population Management Units/Land Ownership Maps ....................................................87 Status Review and Petition to List the Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species Act ● Page 3 of 87 Executive Summary The historic distribution of greater sage-grouse closely conformed to the distribution of sagebrush-steppe, covering what became sixteen western states and three Canadian provinces. Huge flocks of sage grouse were reported to “blacken the sky” before the turn of last century. However, sage grouse have declined as the West was settled, and populations have been reduced by 45-80% as grazing, agricultural conversion, residential development, road construction, mining, wildfire, energy development, invasive species, off-road vehicle use, and other forms of land use continue to degrade and eliminate sage grouse habitat. Sage grouse occur in only two subregions in California: the Mono Basin area and the Modoc Plateau. Recent scientific evidence has demonstrated that Mono Basin area sage grouse are genetically distinct from other greater sage-grouse populations. Their genetic distinctiveness, combined with their declining population trends, qualify Mono Basin area sage grouse for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a distinct population segment. Mono Basin area sage grouse populations have fallen precipitously since the early 1900s. A species that was once described as abundant now only exists in small, isolated populations in the region. Large expanses of Mono Basin area sage grouse habitat continue to be degraded and eliminated by livestock grazing; off-road vehicle use; residential development; pinyon-juniper encroachment; invasive species; wildfire; mining; the Mammoth Lakes airport expansion; placement and construction of roads, fences and transmission lines; and other forms of land use and development. Further, existing regulatory measures will not stave off extinction for the Mono Basin area sage grouse. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only one of thirty existing conservation measures meets the agency’s criteria for effective conservation actions. Clearly, more effective measures are needed. The Mono Basin area sage grouse qualifies as a threatened or endangered species under the ESA due to continued habitat destruction and modification; overutilization of the species; disease, predation, and other natural and man-made factors; and the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms to conserve and recover Mono Basin area sage grouse populations. The remaining small, isolated populations of Mono Basin area sage grouse are extremely susceptible to extinction. As poor land management continues to fragment an already tattered landscape, time is running out for the Mono Basin area sage grouse. Immediate action is needed to ensure that this isolated and genetically unique population of this majestic species is preserved forever. Status Review and Petition to List the Mono Basin Area Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species Act ● Page 4 of 87 Petitioners The Sagebrush Sea Campaign focuses public attention and conservation resources on protecting and restoring the vast sagebrush steppe landscape. The campaign participates in public planning processes, advocates for natural resource protection, and uses education, research, and litigation to conserve and restore the Sagebrush Sea for present and future generations. The Sagebrush Sea Campaign is a project of Forest Guardians. Mark Salvo, Director Sagebrush Sea Campaign c/o 2224 W. Palomino