Greater Sage-grouse

The term "Sagebrush Sea" describes Idaho's vast sagebrush country, home to the greater sage-grouse. Every spring, the males gather in special open areas or leks and strut and dance as the sun rises to attract watching females.

Sage-grouse depend entirely on healthy sagebrush habitat, but these places are rapidly disappearing. Uncharacteristic fires burn through habitat and prepare the way for nonnative annual plants like cheatgrass that dries early in the season and burns frequently. Cheatgrass seeds colonize burned areas faster than native plants can reestablish, so the weed continues to spread.

Large areas of sagebrush habitat have also been lost by the conversion to agriculture, overgrazing by livestock, and diseases like West Nile virus. Most recently, large-scale energy developments such as transmission lines may threaten core habitat for this sensitive species.

The Idaho Conservation League is working with ranchers, sportsmen, bird watchers and energy companies to protect and restore habitat for sage-grouse and other species. The Idaho Conservation League serves on the Idaho Sage-grouse Advisory Committee to help coordinate conservation efforts. We want to reduce impacts to these species so sage-grouse can continue strutting and dancing in the future.