Range-wide declines in greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been attributed to habitat alteration and fragmentation. Once abundant throughout the Devils Garden Plateau of southern Oregon and northern California, sage-grouse have declined significantly and there is a strong correlation between decreased sage-grouse abundance and the loss or fragmentation of sagebrush in the region due to juniper encroachment. Landscape-scale modeling has shown that juniper encroachment negatively impacts sage-grouse, and recent research has positively linked sage-grouse demographics to juniper removal activities. In 2005, the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex (KBNWRC) in collaboration with ranchers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Bureau of Lan Management (BLM), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and United States Forest Service (USFS) initiated a sagebrush restoration effort and grouse translocation program to augment sage-grouse numbers, and prevent extirpation of the Devils Garden population on the Clear Lake NWR. Anecdotal accounts suggest birds are seasonally moving throughout restored areas; however, these earlier monitoring efforts were conducted opportunistically and without targeted objectives, resulting in limited quantitative data. In collaboration with USFWS and OSU, this current project will attempt to fill knowledge gaps regarding dispersal ecology, seasonal movement patterns and demographics relative to landscape distribution of seasonal habitat, and habitat condition (structure, hydrology) for sage-grouse in this area. Strategic and successful habitat restoration in Devils Garden is contingent on collecting this information to address management objectives for meeting seasonal habitat requirements of grouse while promoting landscape connectivity and broader ecosystem benefits including hydrologic efficiencies and habitat resiliency.
