Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Wyoming
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The greater sage-grouse is frequently considered a promising umbrella species for the management of co-occurring wildlife species within North American sagebrush steppe. Sage-grouse are well-studied, habitat specialists, have large home ranges, and are already the target of extensive conservation and management efforts. Previous analyses of sage-grouse as an umbrella species, however, have revealed potential issues that must be addressed before accepting the use of the sage-grouse as an effective single-species surrogate. The primary project partner is the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Project results have clarified the other sensitive species for which the sage-grouse is a suitable conservation surrogate, and at which spatial scales.