Project Summary

Greater Sage-grouse have been at high risk of imminent extinction in Canada for over a decade. A key conservation intervention has been the translocation of grouse from Montana to Alberta, which likely helped the evidenced stabilization of this small and fragile population. Greater sage-grouse are habitat specialists which, as the name suggests, largely depend upon sagebrush for their survival and persistence.

The demise of sagebrush due to habitat deterioration as well as factors such as climate change and introduction of invasive species have all played a role in the imminent decline across Canada.

Management strategies for Greater Sage Grouse need to enable habitat restoration decisions that are not only of utility in the short term but are also adaptive to changing challenges and habitats of the future. The project proposes a comprehensive program of innovations and actions which can help to benefit habitat protection and habitat restoration immediately, while developing future-facing habitat projections that can guide land-use management and associated release site selections for the long-term.

Objectives

Research:

To establish an undisturbed, restored safe haven for Greater sage-grouse populations to flourish again, protected from external threats.

Practice:

Habitat improvement by restoring purchased land to increase sage grouse habitat quantity and quality.  Wet meadow restoration will be implemented to improve vegetation, and climate vulnerability mapping will also be completed by Computational Ecology Group to identify climate-resilient sites.

Outreach:

In addition to assessing the feasibility, protocols, and best locations for habitat restoration, Computational Ecology Group and partners aim to engage and share project learnings with a wide range of organisations working in the project area.