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

Oregon Project

Demographics and habitat use of Greater Sage-Grouse in wildfire-affected habitats in Oregon.

July 2013 - June 2025

Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Southeast Oregon contains part of one of the largest contiguous sage-brush steppe habitats remaining within the extant range of greater sage-grouse. During the summer of 2012, several large wildfires included more than 1 million acres of Oregon sage-grouse habitat within their perimeters. In collaboration with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife we designed a long-term study to evaluate acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) effects of large-scale wildfire on female greater sage-grouse demographics and habitat use and selection. Accomplishing these objectives will inform the prioritization of areas for post-fire habitat rehabilitation and restoration, and help identify areas requiring further protection and/or active management to reduce risk of wildfire and ensure sage-grouse population persistence.

Research Publications Publication Date
Lundblad, CG, CR Anthony, T Dungannon, KA Haab, EM Schuyler, CE Sink, KM Dugger, and CA Hagen. 2024. Evaluating Satellite-Transmitter Backpack-Harnesses Effects on Greater Sage-Grouse Survival and Device Retention in the Great Basin. The Wildlife Society Bulletin 2024;48:e1523m https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1523. | Download February 2024
Foster, L.J., K.M. Dugger, C.A. Hagen, and D.A. Budeau. 2019. Acute Effects of Wildfire on Greater Sage-Grouse Vital Rates. Journal of Wildlife Management 83:121-134, DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21573 January 2019
Foster, L.J., K.M. Dugger, C.A. Hagen and D.A. Budeau. 2018. Potential Effects of GPS Transmitters on Greater Sage-Grouse Survival in a Post-Fire Landscape. Wildlife Biology 2018: wlb.00479 doi: 10.2981/wlb.00479 December 2018
Anthony, C.R., C.A. Hagen, K.M. Dugger, and R.D. Elmore. 2020. The effects of fire on the thermal environment of sagebrush communities. Journal of Thermal Biology 89:102488, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.102488">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.102488 February 2020
Presentations Presentation Date
Titus, Keifer L., Katie M. Dugger, and Christian A. Hagen. 2024. Assessing the effect of hunter harvest on greater sage-grouse survival in southwestern Oregon. Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, 34th Biennial Sage & Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse Workshop. August 5 - 8, 2024, Wenatchee, WA. August 2024
Anthony, C.R., C. Hagen, and K.M. Dugger. 2020. An evaluation of how greater sage-grouse respond to a megafire. Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society's Annual Meeting, February 4-7, 2020, Eugene, OR. February 2020
Theses and Dissertations Publication Date
Foster, L. 2016. Resource selection, and demographic rates of female Greater Sage-Grouse following large-scale wildfire. M.S. thesis, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 181 pp. June 2016
Anthony, Christopher R. 2020. Thermal ecology and population dynamics of female greater sage-grouse following wildfire in the Trout Creek Mountains of Oregon and Nevada. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. 156 pp. March 2020