Greater Sage-Grouse Biology & Habitat Requirements in Colorado. Tony Apa Avian Research Biologist

Greater Sage-Grouse Biology & Habitat Requirements in Colorado Tony Apa Avian Research Biologist

Presentation Outline Sage-Grouse Biology Distribution Demography vital rates Productivity - nest success Survival Sage-Grouse Seasonal Habitat Scales of Selection Fidelity Movements Colorado Habitat Structural Guidelines

GREATER SAGE-GROUSE SAGE-GROUSE

Sage-Grouse Distribution

Sage-Grouse Current Distribution-Colorado Green River Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is Zone 4B ROUTT iver Elk R Yampa River ^_ Steamboat Springs Is North Park North Platte River ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver JACKSON Laramie River LARIMER Poud re River ^_ Dinosaur Wolf Creek Zone 5 Or White River East Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek Yel low C reek R oan Creek MESA Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River GARFIELD ^_ Silt South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River River ^_ Yampa Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone ^_ Gypsum Fryingpan River PITKIN EAGLE C olorado R iver P iney River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ Middle Park LAKE GRAND Blue River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT Fraser R iver CLEAR CREEK ^_ Georgetown PARK GrSG_OccupiedRange.mxd GILPIN

Greater Sage-Grouse 6% 3% 1% 3% 0% 20% 67% Northwest North Park Laramie River Middle Park N. Eagle - S. Routt Meeker - White River PPR

Demography Vital Rates

Demography Apparent Nest Success 14% 48% 86% 4 Research Projects (7 years) 46% (n = 305/684) Range (33 55%)

Demography Chick Survival

Demography Chick Survival 0.30 0.39 0.36-0.53 0.5 0.12 21 days n =75 28 days n = 506 35 days n = 431 42 days n = 150 56 days n = 41 1.0 2005 2006 2007 Axial Basin Cold Springs Mtn. 1.0 2005 2006 2007 Survival Estimate 0.8 0.6 0.4 Survival Estimate 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Week Week

Survival Rate 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Demography Chick Survival 2005 2008 (n = 415) Survival = 0.15 May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Month Survival Rate 95% CI

Survival Rate 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Demography Chick Survival 2005 2008 (n = 415) Fall = 0.73 May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Month Survival Rate 95% CI Winter = 0.94

Demography Yearling & Adult Male/Female Survival

Demography Yearling Survival CO CO CO CO CO CO CO

Demography Adult Survival CO CO CO CO CO CO CO

Breeding Season Demography Monthly Mortality n = 320 Summer Season Winter Season

Demography Female Annual Survival (Central Moffat Co.)

Demography Female Annual Survival (North Park) Adult (n = 73) Yearling (n = 22) LCI UCI LCI UCI 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 MAR APR MAY JUN JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB

Sage-Grouse Seasonal Habitat BREEDING HABITAT WINTER HABITAT SAGEBRUSH SUMMER HABITAT

NEST SITE FIDELITY Year to Year Nest Placement (10 mi.) Fischer et al. (1993) Idaho 0.70 km (0.4 mi) Hausleitner (2003) Colorado 0.45 km (0.28 mi)

0.50 1.50 2.50 3.50 4.50 5.50 6.50 7.50 8.50 9.50 10.50 11.50 12.50 13.50 14.50 15.50 16.50 17.50 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Greater Sage-Grouse Lek of Capture to Nest Distribution 1978 2005 (n = 518) 3.0 km (2 mi) 52.2% 6.5 km (4 mi) 80.5% 9.5 km (6 mi) 90.5% Moffat County North Park Eagle South Routt

NEST SITE FIDELITY Generational Breeding Habitat Fidelity Mother and Daughter

Sage-Grouse Seasonal Habitat BREEDING HABITAT WINTER HABITAT SAGEBRUSH SUMMER HABITAT

Scale of Habitat Selection (Johnson 1980) 1 st Order Geographical range of the population of interest 2 nd Order Home range of individuals or subpopulations of interest (e.g. lek area or lek complex) 3 rd Order Seasonal habitats within the home range 4 th Order Structural or quality and quantity of food or cover

1 st Order Selection Green River Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is ROUTT Zone 4B iver Elk R Yampa River ^_ Steamboat Springs Is North Park North Platte River ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver JACKSON Laramie River LARIMER Poud re River ^_ Dinosaur Wolf Creek Zone 5 Or White River East Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek Yel low C reek R oan Creek MESA Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River GARFIELD ^_ Silt South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River River ^_ Yampa Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone ^_ Gypsum Fryingpan River PITKIN EAGLE C olorado R iver P iney River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ Middle Park LAKE GRAND Blue River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT Fraser R iver CLEAR CREEK ^_ Georgetown PARK GILPIN

2 nd Order Selection Green River Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is ROUTT Zone 4B iver Elk R Yampa River ^_ Steamboat Springs Is North Park North Platte River ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver JACKSON Laramie River LARIMER Poud re River ^_ Dinosaur Wolf Creek Zone 5 Or White River East Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek Yel low C reek R oan Creek MESA Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River GARFIELD ^_ Silt South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River River ^_ Yampa Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone ^_ Gypsum Fryingpan River PITKIN EAGLE C olorado R iver P iney River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ Middle Park LAKE GRAND Blue River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT Fraser R iver CLEAR CREEK ^_ Georgetown PARK GILPIN

Sage-Grouse Habitat Selection Seasonal (3 rd Order) Habitat Configuration BREEDING HABITAT WINTER HABITAT SAGEBRUSH SUMMER HABITAT

Unmapped Seasonal Habitats Breeding Habitat and Summer-Fall Habitat - If these seasonal habitats are not mapped and field-validated, they should be designated by 2 concentric circles around active leks (Fig. B-1). Mapped Seasonal Habitats If seasonal habitats have been mapped (Fig. B-1), the following guidelines should be followed in, and relative to, the mapped habitat. 0.6 mile radius (Breeding Habitat [Lek only]) 4.0 mile radius (Breeding Habitat [Nesting, Early- Brood-Rearing], and Summer-Fall Habitat) Mapped Habitat (Breeding [Nesting, Early-Brood-Rearing], and Summer-Fall Habitat) Winter Habitat If winter habitat is not delineated, then the following guidance should be used. Winter habitat is highly variable from year to year, depending upon winter conditions (especially snow depth).

Mapping Seasonal Habitat 9.1.1.9 Define GrSG seasonal habitats and map them into the GIS database. Incorporate GIS modeling techniques such as slope and aspect, observational data, and habitat assessment data into the seasonal habitat definitions. 9.1.1.10 Evaluate the amount and spatial arrangement of GrSG habitat in Colorado.

Sage-Grouse Habitat Selection Seasonal (3 rd Order) Breeding Habitat Green River Zone 1 Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 ^_ Dinosaur White River st Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek n Creek Vermillio Zone 2 Wolf Creek Zone 2 Zone 6 Yel Zone 5 low C reek Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River R oan Creek Is Zone 5 White R Zone 3A Zone 5 iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Northwest Colorado Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil ^_ Silt MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig Meeker/White River GARFIELD li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Zone 5 Slater Cree k South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Zone 4A Zone 4B Is Zone 4B Roaring For ROUTT iver Elk R Or Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River Yampa River ^_ Yampa ^_ Gypsum Frying ^_ Steamboat Springs Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone Is EAGLE North Park C olorado R iver P iney River North Platte River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver Middle Park GRAND Blue River JACKSON Laramie River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT unsuitable marginal suitable LARIMER highly suitable Fraser R iver Poud re River CLEAR CREEK ^_ Georgetown PARK GILPIN

Sage-Grouse Habitat Selection Seasonal (3 rd Order) Summer Habitat unsuitable marginal suitable highly suitable

3 rd ORDER SEASONAL HABITAT CONFIGURATION NONMIGRATORY 2-STAGE MIGRATORY W/B/S W > 6.2 mi B S 1 STAGE MIGRATORY W/B > 6.2 mi W > 6.2 mi S B/S

3 rd Order Selection Green River Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is ROUTT Zone 4B iver Elk R Yampa River ^_ Steamboat Springs Is North Park North Platte River ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver JACKSON Laramie River LARIMER Poud re River ^_ Dinosaur Wolf Creek Zone 5 Or White River East Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek Yel low C reek R oan Creek MESA Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River GARFIELD ^_ Silt South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River River ^_ Yampa Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone ^_ Gypsum Fryingpan River PITKIN EAGLE C olorado R iver P iney River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ Middle Park LAKE GRAND Blue River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT Fraser R iver CLEAR CREEK ^_ Georgetown PARK GILPIN

3 rd Order Selection ^_ Green River Zone 7 Dinosaur Zone 6 Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio MOFFAT Zone 2 Wolf Creek Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Zone 5 Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is Zone 4B ROUTT iver Elk R Or Yampa R White River ^_ Zone 6 Rangely Douglas Creek Yel low C reek Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River South Fork White River Routt Zone Derby Creek ^_ Northern Eagle/ Y

3 rd Order Selection

3 rd Order Selection BREEDING HABITAT

Is Laramie River North Platte River Walden Ca nadian R ^_ Michigan River iver LARIMER North Park Illi nois River Poud re River a River ^_ Steamboat Springs JACKSON

Sage-Grouse Habitat Selection Seasonal (4 th Order) Habitat 1 st Order Geographical range of the population of interest 2 nd Order Home range of individuals or subpopulations of interest (e.g. lek area or lek complex) 3 rd Order Seasonal habitats within the home range 4 th Order Structural or quality and quantity of food or cover

4 th Order Selection Birds select habitat based on horizontal and vertical structure as well as floristic composition

4 th Order Selection Sagebrush What is Measured? Sagebrush Horizontal Cover How thick it is

4 th Order Selection Sagebrush What is Measured? Sagebrush Vertical Cover How tall it is

4 th Order Selection Understory What is Measured? Understory Vertical Cover Understory Horizontal Cover How tall it is How thick it is

Habitat Management Guidelines

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines The History Braun et al. (1977) Guidelines for Maintenance of Sage Grouse Habitats Connelly et al. (2000) Guidelines to Manage Sage Grouse s and Their Habitats Greater Sage-grouse Steering Committee (2008) Colorado Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Plan (Appendix A)

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines The History Which Guidelines Or Recommendations Should We Use? NATIONAL? LOCAL?

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines Connelly et al. (2000) Where were the data collected? Breeding Breeding and and Summer Summer Sagebrush Understory Canopy Canopy Winter Cover Cover Sagebrush & Height Height Canopy Cover & Height

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines Connelly et al. (2000:975) Because of gaps in knowledge and regional variation in habitat characteristics, the judgments of local biologists and quantitative data from population and habitat monitoring are necessary to implement the guidelines correctly.

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines Other National Guidance Sage-grouse BLM National Technical Team (2011) Conduct land health assessments that include (at a minimum) indicators and measurements of structure/condition/composition of vegetation specific to achieving sage-grouse habitat objectives If local/state seasonal habitat objectives are not available, use sage-grouse habitat recommendations from Connelly et al. (2000) and Hagen et al. (2007).

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines What did the guidelines for Colorado come from?

Colorado Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines In developing these habitat guidelines, we summarized only Colorado GRSG habitat use data

Colorado Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines The vegetation structure guidelines should be interpreted as minimum standards, and managers should strive to meet the full potential of any given site. -Colorado Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Plan (2008:A-4)

Greater Sage-Grouse Where did CO guidelines come from?

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines Greater Sage-Grouse State Plan These habitat guidelines should be considered adaptive, and interim in nature. The guidelines were developed from actual grouse use sites, but should be considered as guidance and not absolute values. Landscapes are diverse; some areas on the landscape will not meet these guidelines, some areas will meet the guidelines, and some will exceed these guidelines. As new information is collected, these guidelines, as well as this plan are meant to be adaptable.

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines (Breeding Habitat)

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines (Breeding Habitat) n C r ee k La Zone 4A er C tte Ri v e r Zone 2 No E lk R a ti ic t if Fo r il Zone 6 Yam pa Ri ver _ Steamboat ^ Springs li a m Wolf s F or k Ya m pa Ri JACKSON Is Zone 4B Cree ve r Zone 5 k r O M hi _ Meeker ^ r Der u Fo rk W hit e Co _ Gypsum ^ el an C Cr e ek _ Silt ^ _ Glenwood ^ EAGLE GILPIN P in ey Ri v e r CLEAR CREEK _ ^ Georgetown _ Silverthorne ^ SUMMIT Springs _ Parachute ^ Ro r ee S al t o River er iv r ive ue R ra d R Bl Eagle River GARFIELD o lo Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone w O k a st re e k Rive r ee k lo Co by C r So r eek e Cr th Fr e iv Routt Zone Meeker/White River Parachute/Piceance/Roan P i ce anc Springs er R RIO BLANCO Y _ Hot Sulphur ^ Kremmling ^ _ d ive GRAND as D oug l as C low C re e k W R te Zone 6 _ Yampa ^ Zone 5 _ Rangely ^ Middle Park ra iv er u dd y Creek W hi t e R i r W Zone 5 ROUTT no e Ri v Zone 6 _ Dinosaur ^ Is Is ve r i ve r _ Craig ^ Zone 2 Zone 5 North Park Zone 4B Ri sr MOFFAT m Walden LARIMER Illi Ya er _ ^ n MR iv ic e r hi ga n P o ud r e Zone 3C R iv pa iv e r Northwest Colorado Sn o n C re e k e Li ttl ak e Zone 7 r th Ri Pl a v er Zone 3A an a di a i v er l lio mi e ek Ve rm i ra C Ã M Zone 3B r r er Zone 1 iv e S lat G re en R Ro arin gf or k F ryingp a n River PARK

Sage-Grouse Habitat Guidelines (Breeding Habitat) n C r ee k La Zone 4A er C tte Ri v e r Zone 2 No E lk R a ti ic t if Fo r il Zone 6 Yam pa Ri ver _ Steamboat ^ Springs li a m Wolf s F or k Ya m pa Ri JACKSON Is Zone 4B Cree ve r Zone 5 k r O M hi _ Meeker ^ r Der u Fo rk W hit e Co _ Gypsum ^ el an C Cr e ek _ Silt ^ _ Glenwood ^ EAGLE GIL P in ey Ri v e r CLEAR CRE _ ^ Georgetown _ Silverthorne ^ SUMMIT Springs _ Parachute ^ Ro r ee S al t o River er iv r ive ue R ra d R Bl Eagle River GARFIELD o lo Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone w O k a st re e k Rive r ee k lo Co by C r So r eek e Cr th Fr e iv Routt Zone Meeker/White River Parachute/Piceance/Roan P i ce anc Springs er R RIO BLANCO Y _ Hot Sulphur ^ Kremmling ^ _ d ive GRAND as D oug l as C low C re e k W R te Zone 6 _ Yampa ^ Zone 5 _ Rangely ^ Middle Park ra iv er u dd y Creek W hi t e R i r W Zone 5 ROUTT no e Ri v Zone 6 _ Dinosaur ^ Is Is ve r i ve r _ Craig ^ Zone 2 Zone 5 North Park Zone 4B Ri sr MOFFAT m Walden LARIMER Illi Ya er _ ^ n MR iv ic e r hi ga n P o ud r e Zone 3C R iv pa iv e r Northwest Colorado Sn o n C re e k e Li ttl ak e Zone 7 r th Ri Pl a v er Zone 3A an a di a i v er l lio mi e ek Ve rm i ra C Ã M Zone 3B r r er Zone 1 iv e S lat G re en R Ro arin gf or k F ryingp a n River PARK

Green River Zone 1 n Creek Vermillio Zone 7 MOFFAT Zone 6 Zone 2 Zone 2 Zone 6 Zone 5 Little Sn ake River Ya mpa River Is Zone 3A Northwest Colorado Zone 5 Zone 3B Zone 3C Wil MÃ Fortificati on C reek ^_ Craig li ams Fork Yampa Ri ver Slater Cree k Zone 4A Zone 4B Is ROUTT Zone 4B iver Elk R Yampa River ^_ Steamboat Springs Is North Park North Platte River ^_ Walden Ca nadian R Illi nois River Michigan River iver JACKSON Laramie River LARIMER Poud re River ^_ Dinosaur Wolf Creek Zone 5 Or White River ast Salt Creek ^_ Rangely Zone 6 Ow Douglas Creek Yel low C reek R oan Creek Zone 5 White R iver RIO BLANCO Parachute/Piceance/Roan Piceance Cree k Colorado River ^_ Parachute ^_ Meeker Meeker/White River GARFIELD ^_ Silt South Fork White River ^_ Glenwood Springs Roaring Fork Routt Zone Derby Creek Eagle River ^_ Yampa Northern Eagle/ Southern Routt Eagle Zone ^_ Gypsum Fryingpan River EAGLE C olorado R iver P iney River Muddy Creek Kremmling ^_ Middle Park GRAND Blue River ^_ Hot Sulphur Springs ^_ Silverthorne SUMMIT Fraser R iver PARK G CLEAR C Georgetow

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Breeding) Greater Sage-grouse Vegetation Variable Arid Mesic SB Cover % 15-30 20-30 Non-SB Cover (%) 5-10 5-10 Total Shrub Cover (%) 20-40 25-40 SB Height (cm) 30-60 40-60 Grass Cover (%) 10-20 20-40 Forb Cover (%) 5-15 15-30 Grass Height (cm) 15-20 15-25 Forb Height (cm) 5-15 10-15

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Breeding-Some New Data) Greater Sage-grouse Vegetation Variable Arid Mesic SB Cover % 15-30 20-30 North Park 40-45 PPR 35-40 Non-SB Cover (%) 5-10 5-10 North Park 6-9 PPR 25-30

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Summer)

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Summer) Greater sage-grouse Vegetation Variable Arid Mesic SB Cover % 10-25 10-25 Non-SB Cover (%) 5-10 5-15 Total Shrub Cover (%) 20-35 20-40 SB Height (cm) 30-65 35-70 Grass Cover (%) 10-30 15-40 Forb Cover (%) 5-15 10-25 Grass Height (cm) 10-15 10-20 Forb Height (cm) 5-15 10-15

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Winter) North Park 2010/11 PPR 2007/08

Habitat Structural Guidelines (Winter) Greater Sage-grouse Variable Arid Mesic SB Cover (%) 20-40 25-40 SB Height (cm) 20-40 25-40

Summary Sagebrush, sagebrush, sagebrush. Three seasons of use: breeding, summer, and winter. Grouse select habitat at differing scales. Grouse demonstrate seasonal, annual, and generational site fidelity. Braun et al. (1977) and Connelly et al. (2000) are not applicable to Colorado because we have better local data.

Summary Habitat guidelines are based on bird selection at the 4 th order scale and are specific to Colorado. Measurements at a local scale for greater sage-grouse habitat may meet, may not meet, or may exceed current guidelines.

QUESTIONS?